Blood Berries
by CullenLove
Summary: Bella's life is a miserable excuse for existence: her mother beats her, and every day she wishes for death... until a mysterious boy bursts into her life, and throws rainbows on her dark soul. Haunting EdXBella story. Violence, optional lemons, language..
1. Suicide?

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me apart from the plot. 

Ok, here is a little explaining. 

Bella is the same as in Twilight, but she lives in Phoenix and has never met her father, Charlie, who left her mother when Bella was young. Her mother Renee hates Bella, and beats her. She lives in Phoenix, and has never heard of Forks. 

Edward is a vampire, in case you can't figure it out. 

Enjoy !!

…

The earliest memories I had of my childhood were at the age of three. They have faded slightly, for which I am thankful, but I can still remember in clarity, the glances of hate my mother Renee gave me every time I spilt my food or knocked over my juice. She had always hated me- I was her biggest mistake, as she told me almost every day. I was never allowed to forget that I was the reason her husband had left her.

**Growing up in the slums and dirt of America, I spent most of my childhood working my skin to the bone to impress my mother. Often after a long day's work, where I had cleaned the house to spotlessness, she only gave me a passing glance before retreating to her drinks cupboard. She often got very drunk, so it was no surprise to me that night would be any different. **

**By the age of fourteen, I was almost a skeleton, thin and with a pinched look to my face. I had no friends, and was still forced to work at home while my mother beat me or went out for the night with her passing boyfriends. I was her slave. Every day I longed to get away from her, and many times, I thought of suicide. **

**Despite my longing for death, I managed to reach my seventeenth birthday. Obviously, my mother had 'forgotten' that today was my birthday, and had not bothered to even give me a card. I knew no children of my age, so I received absolutely nothing from anyone. The day passed like any other- get up at six, shower under cold water because my mother had used all of the hot water, wash the dishes, scrub the basins and bath, clean the car, make breakfast, go to school, sit through another day, come home from school, do homework, more chores, then retreat to my bedroom. **

**I put my head in my hands as I sat on my bed, and rubbed my temples. Another headache. No, today was nothing special. I meant nothing to anyone. I was dirt. **

_**Do I really want to live like this?**_** I thought, rubbing the scars on my wrists where I had tried to kill myself. **_**No. I don't. I'm sick of this life, sick of everything. No one would even miss me if I died. **_

I went over to my desk and took out a pen and paper.

**Dear Mother, **

**I know you wish I had never been born, so you shall get your wish. Goodbye. **

**From Bella. **

I didn't even put a kiss, because I had never loved my mother, and she had never loved me.

_All that remains is how to do the deed. I'm going to kill myself. I really am. This time, there is no backing out. I'm going to be free from this life! _

I trudged downstairs and left the note on my mother's kitchen table. She was out tonight, and would come back tomorrow night, after spending the days away partying and gambling in New York. At least she would get a nice surprise when she came home.

**I went out of the front door, and grabbed a kitchen knife, hiding it in the pocket of my hoodie. I didn't want to kill myself in the house, because that would be boring. No, I wanted something more original. **

**I walked for two hours before I got to where I wanted to be, and finally slid down the back alley, the place I had chosen to die. **

**This had been where my mother had conceived me, and I knew that this was the place she would think of first, when the police looked for my body. **

**There was no one around, and I thanked god for that. No one would be able to stop me. It was almost dark, and the sun was sinking below the skyline of office blocks and flats. The moon was beginning its rise into the sky, and little bars of moonlight draped across the city. **_**Ah, Phoenix. My home, **_**I thought bitterly. I had never liked this city, because constantly it reminded me of my bitter existence. **

**I walked towards the back of the alley, where a brick wall stood. Pushing past overflowing dustbins, I made my way to the back of the alley. Rain began to fall- unusual for Phoenix- and began to sink into my clothes, chilling me to the bone. I shivered, and pulled my hoodie closer to my neck. **

**Taking the knife out of my pocket, I ran my fingers over the edge of it, careful not to cut myself. The metal was cold, and goose bumps began appear on my pale skin. I swept my brown hair into a ponytail, and put the knife's edge against my neck, wrapping my hands around the handle. **

_**I can do this!**_

_**One little movement, and it will all be over. **_

_**One little cut, and I'll be free. **_

I prepared myself for it mentally, and was just about to stick the knife into my neck when I felt something hard and solid slam into me, knocking my head back against the wall.

"**STOP!" it was a boy's voice- his body was pressed close to mine and he was staring at me urgently. "DON'T KILL YOURSELF!"**

"**What… ar-are… you talking… about?" I spluttered, my eyesight going shaky and black blobs popping up in front of my eyes. That wall had been pretty hard, and my head felt like it had been split open. My eyes began to water. **

"**DON'T KILL YOURSELF!" the boy repeated, pressing himself against me and prising the knife from my hands. What he did next amazed me- he snapped the knife in **_**half **_**with only a twitch of his fingers. **

**I studied this boy closely as well as my blurry eyesight would let me. He looked about seventeen, like me, and his skin was deathly pale. He had a mop of messy bronze hair, and topaz eyes, which drew me in. They were very deep. His teeth were very white and shined when he spoke, and his body was muscular and toned. **

**A normal girl would have thought, **_**Bloody hell, he's fit! **_**When she saw him, but I just thought, **_**what the hell?**_

"How did you find me? Who are you?" I asked, but I didn't hear his reply, because at that moment I collapsed.

So here is the first chappie of a new story, and if you want more, review and say so! Unlike Edward I can't tell just by reading your thoughts… sniff, sniff. 

CullenLove x


	2. Awoken

**When I awoke, I was lying on a soft sofa in a room that was unrecognisable to me. The walls were high and painted in black and white, and a large collection of CD's covered the far wall. There was a massive speaker and sound system right next to the sofa I was lying on, and a soft lullaby hummed out of the speakers towards me. **

**I sat up slowly, trying to ignore my headache. I tenderly pressed my fingers against my head and felt a massive bruise where I had hit the wall. **

_**Where am I? Why aren't I dead? Who was the boy who stopped me from killing myself?**_

**I looked around the room, but it was empty. I got up from the sofa and walked over to the window, and looking out I could see a dark sky and sheets of rain falling onto soft, mossy, green grass, below. _Where on earth am I?_**

**I seemed to be in a large white house, which was bordered by trees. I couldn't see much else through the covering of rain, except that I was on the first floor, and a light on the ground floor was on. **

**I went to the door of the room and pressed my ear against the wood. I could hear nothing. I pushed with the palm of my hand against the door and it swung open, and I stepped out onto what looked like a sort of landing. Multiple doors led off from the landing, to bedrooms or bathrooms, I guessed. I wondered how many people lived here. **

**A large marble staircase was at the end of the corridor, leading down into a massive room, which covered the whole ground floor. From what I could see, the room had a massive plasma-screen TV, a kitchen with lots of shiny new appliances that looked like they had never been used, a pair of large black leather sofas, some beanbags, a piano and a cordless phone. **

**When I reached the bottom of the staircase, I thought the room was empty, but as I walked forward towards the sofas, I noticed that one was occupied. **

"**Hello?" I said timidly. I noticed that it was the boy that had stopped me from killing myself. **

**The boy's head snapped around, and once again, I noticed that his eyes were beautiful. I shook myself before I got lost in them, and fixed my gaze instead on the window. **

"**What are you thinking?" he asked me, gesturing for me to sit beside him on the sofa. I sat a little way away from him, but he smiled at me warmly anyway. **

"**I'm thinking that this house is massive. And I'm asking myself why I aren't dead, and asking myself why a stranger would care about whether I was alive or dead."**

"**You're really thinking all that?" he said, and when I nodded, a troubled expression passed across his face. **

"**What?" I said. **

"**Nothing," he answered straight away, giving me a dazzling smile that made me forget my curiosity. _I wonder why I can't hear her thoughts? _Edward thought disappointedly. **

"**So where am I?" I asked. **

"**You're in Forks."**

"**Why am I in Forks?" I asked immediately. **

"**Because I brought you here."**

"**In what?"**

"**Erm… I took you in the car," Edward said, not wanting to tell her yet that he had ran at vampire speed to get here. He knew he would have to tell her soon, because she would have too many questions, but he wanted to wait until Carlisle and the others got back from their hunting trip. **

"**You know, that's a bit like kidnapping," I said. **

**He stared at me. "Didn't think of it that way…"**

"**Well anyway, I don't want to go back."**

**At that moment, the door banged open, and a gust of wind swept through the room. The night was dark, but the light from inside the room illuminated six windswept figures that were framed in the doorway. **

"**Edward."**

**The voice was low and soft, and filled with compassion. It came from the mouth of a young doctor-ish man, who had a stethoscope around his neck. His skin was pale, like Edward's, and his eyes were a light shade of butterscotch. **

**Edward's POV**

**As Carlisle opened the door, and my family piled inside, they immediately noticed the girl who was sitting beside me. **

**_Who is she?_ Jasper thought, _and what a weird emotion she's feeling!_**

"**This is… well… I don't really know her name," Edward said. **

"**It's Bella," the girl choked out. **

"**Welcome Bella!" Esme said, rushing up to Bella and enveloping her in a hug. She looked pretty shocked, and smiled weakly back at Esme. **

**_What a poor girl, _Esme thought, _she's so thin!_ **

**Esme then rushed off into the kitchen and came back with a plate of chocolate-chip cookies. She offered them to Bella, who looked at them with an open mouth. **

"**Go on, take one," Esme smiled, and Bella stared up at her. **

"**I can really have one?"**

"**Yes, take as many as you like!"**

**Bella took one cookie and bit at it tenderly. She then gobbled it down like she had been starved, which she probably had. Esme came back with a glass of milk for her, and the rest of my family sat down around us. **

"**My name is Carlisle," the doctor said. **

"**Bella," the girl said, shaking his hand. **

**Carlisle smiled warmly at her, and then introduced the rest of the family. When it got to Emmett's turn, he shook her hand so hard that it almost came off. Bella winced and rubbed her shoulder. **

"**Not so hard, Emmett," I said sharply, "She's not like us."**

**_Not a vampire you mean? _Alice said. **

**I nodded at her and she sniffed the air. Immediately she recoiled. **

**_Have you smelt her, Edward? _Alice thought, _if you haven't, then don't! You wont be able to control yourself! I've just been hunting and I'm struggling to stop myself from attacking her. _**

**Alice's little fists were clenched and her jaw was strained. Jasper immediately turned to her. **

"**What is it?" he said, "Your emotions are… weird."**

"**Don't breathe," Alice whispered low enough so Bella couldn't hear. "Don't anyone breathe."**

**I heard and raised my eyebrows. **

"**Bella, you can have a shower," I said, and when she nodded, I disappeared with her upstairs. I came down a few minutes later, to hear the others whispering quietly and quickly to each other. **

"**What is it?" I said as I sat down on the sofa. **

"**She smells…" Alice said, "Delicious!"**

"**None of us should breathe," Jasper said. **

"**Apart from Carlisle," Esme smiled, patting his arm. "He learnt how to be around humans."**

"**Edward?" this was Carlisle. **

"**Yes?" I answered. **

"**Where did she come from?"**

"**She's the one. The one we've been feeling for weeks."**

**Jasper looked amazed and Alice stared at me. **

"**Really?" Alice said, her voice high. **

"**Yes," I said to them, "Jasper has been feeling her emotions for the last three weeks, Alice has been seeing her, and I have been hearing her thoughts… Though I don't know how that is possible, seeing as she was in Phoenix!"**

"**Phoenix?" Esme said. **

"**Yes. I found her by following her thoughts from here. I couldn't hear anyone else's thoughts apart from hers. She was in Phoenix- I ran all the way there- and she was about to commit suicide!"**

"**Suicide?" Esme said, _what a poor girl!_**

"**I found her just in time, and stopped her. I ran all the way back here with her."**

"**Why do you think we could all sense her?" Jasper said, "I mean, she was so far away, but for three weeks, all I have been able to feel is her emotions. And it's been very depressing."**

"**That's why you've been so sad!" Esme said, rubbing Jasper's shoulder. **

"**And I have been seeing visions," Alice said, "Of her."**

"**And I could hear her thoughts," I said, "But the odd thing is, I can't now!"**

**Carlisle raised his eyebrows in shock. "I don't know why that would be..." **

"**Something led us to her," Alice said. "And we need to know what it is."**


	3. Faltering Restraint

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! I think it is quiet shocking :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Stephenie's works. **

**Alice's POV**

**About an hour after we had come home, Bella came downstairs dripping wet, a clean towel hugged around her body. Her brown hair was hanging in curls around her face, and she looked very clean. Later on, I found out that she had used all of the shower gel cleaning herself, because she wanted to be totally rid of her old life. She even asked me if she could borrow some of my clothes and burn her old ones, and told me that she would pay me back as soon as she got a job. **

**The whole room noticeably tensed as soon as she entered the room, because her scent was much stronger when she was soaking wet from the shower. Edward's jaw and fists were clenched beside me and I muttered to him. **

"**Go hunting, Edward," I whispered, too quiet for Bella to hear. She had no idea the strength it took to ignore her blood. **

**Edward whispered quickly back and I heard his teeth grinding as he spoke. He hardly opened his mouth. "I'm fine." His voice was strained and he obviously was holding himself back with immense effort. **

"**Honestly man," Emmett said, "I never thought I'd say this, but listen to Alice. She knows what she's talking about."**

**Carlisle murmured his agreement beside Edward, whose whole body stiffened. He hates everybody taking a different side from him, especially when he is the subject of the discussion. **

"**Prove it to us that you're fine, then!" Rosalie said, and as soon as I heard her speak, I kicked her mentally. Very, very hard. **

**Rosalie was always causing trouble, and this suggestion was stupid and dangerous. I knew Edward would go through with it. And I also knew he was risking Bella's safety by doing it. But men have their pride. **

"**Edward, stop!" Esme called quickly, as Edward stood up and walked towards Bella, who hadn't heard any of the exchange. Edward ignored Esme, and carried on walking towards Bella. He stopped about half a metre away from her and turned to face us. **

"**Here you go, Rosalie," he said, and kissed Bella on the lips. **

**Bella froze, and after a few seconds pushed against Edward's chest. He didn't move away, and as he was much stronger, ignored her. He closed the small gap between them both and put his lips against Bella's neck, running them down to her collarbone. Bella shivered, and tried to step back, but Edward followed her. **

"**Edward," Carlisle hissed. "Stop it now."**

**Edward ignored him, and placed a line of kisses down the other side of Bella's neck. He then opened his mouth, and brushed his fangs against the soft skin of her neck. **

**That was the last straw. **

**The five of us- Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett and I, got up from the sofa and rushed towards Edward. Rosalie sat on the sofa and watched, as she seemed to think this was funny. **

**I got to Edward first, and grabbed his shoulder, trying to pull him away from Bella. Carlisle grabbed his left arm and Emmett his right, and we yanked Edward backwards, and away from Bella. He turned to us, a deep and vicious growl ripping its way out of his throat. His eyes had turned the darkest shade of black I had ever seen on him, and his face was immediately transformed by it. He wasn't himself- his vampire side had taken over him. **

**Edward pulled back against us, yanking himself back towards Bella, who screamed and fled up the stairs. I heard a slamming of doors and a lock scraping, though I knew that that would be nothing against a vampire. We could just break the door down with a flick of our wrists. **

"**Edward, stop!" Esme shouted, slapping him in the face. He turned towards her, and bared his fangs, and venom was dripping off them. He growled deep in his throat, sounding like the animal he was at this moment. **

"**ENOUGH!" Carlisle bellowed, he was angry with Edward for his treatment of Esme, his wife. The five of us managed to drag Edward towards the door, though it took a while as Edward managed to pull us half the way back across the room before Emmett rugby tackled him and we dragged him back. All of us were stronger when we had given up to our vampire side, and Edward was especially. **

**In ten minutes, we managed to get him outside, and it took us almost an hour to get him ten miles away, until he finally stopped struggling. His eyes were deep black and he didn't speak, and his chest heaved up and down, even though he was not breathing. Esme, Carlisle and Emmett went back to the house to try and get Bella out of the room, so they could explain to her. They could have easily got her out of there by force, but they didn't want her to be scared. **

**Jasper and I stayed with Edward, who wasn't speaking. We were going to take him hunting, right now, and we wouldn't let him go until he had drank more than his fill and was back to normal. **

**Jasper's POV**

**The main emotion running through Edward was anger- deep and dark and ferocious. I tried sending waves of calmness towards him, but they were lost in the midst of his anger, so it was pointless. I tried turning his anger to guilt, but this didn't make a difference either. I gave up when another emotion joined the anger- hunger. I wouldn't be able to make a difference against _that, _and Edward was feeling it _very _strongly at the moment. **

**I turned to Alice. "Let's get him away from here."**

**She nodded and grabbed Edward's arm, starting to run at vampire speed. I grabbed his other arm. Edward didn't respond, just ran along with us. **

**_How stupid to give Rosalie what she wanted! She got her show, at your's and Bella's expense, _I thought loudly, trying to see if I could get a message to Edward this way. It didn't work, so I ran faster and dragged him along, not bothering to hold on gently. He couldn't feel pain anyway, and I was pissed off with him now. **

**As we ran, I wondered what Bella was feeling back at our house. I sensed fear when Edward kissed her and didn't stop when she pushed against him, and then absolute terror when she saw the colour of his eyes change and his fangs. She must have been terrified when she saw all of us pulling against him, and him pulling back just as hard. I cursed Edward under my breath, but then remembered how hard it used to be for me when I was first bitten, and understood him perfectly. Edward had been bitten before me, and normally had more control, so I came to the conclusion that Bella must be his singer. Her blood must appeal to him more than other human's blood did. **

**We reached a forest after an hour of running, and entered the trees silently. I listened carefully for any sound of an animal, but heard nothing, so we went deeper into the forest. **

**Alice turned to me and motioned with her eyes left. I stayed with Edward, holding onto his arms so he wouldn't move, as Alice followed the sound she had heard before, away into the trees. I heard a growl in the distance and a snapping sound, and then the anguished wail of an animal. Alice must have caught something big, because the noise when it hit the ground was loud. A few seconds later she appeared from between the trees, dragging a bear over her shoulder. **

"**It's not dead yet, so the blood will be fresh," she said, "I only injured it."**

**I smiled at Alice and blew her a kiss. She was so thoughtful and beautiful. She winked back at me and thrust the bear into Edward's arms. At once, he began to drink, sucking the blood down in great gulps. A line of blood ran down his throat as he drank, but he removed it with a flash of his tongue. **

**_Good job Bella isn't here to see this, _I thought, _she'd have a heart attack!_**

**When Edward had finished his meal, and the carcass of the bear was sucked dry, his eyes were still black, but a lighter shade. There were flecks of gold in them, but not enough to go home yet. Still he was unresponsive as we moved on through the trees. Within ten minutes, we came across the clearing where about twenty deer were lying on the ground. This time Alice stayed with Edward as I picked off the largest deer and injured it, pulling it back to Edward. He drank all of the blood of this deer as well, and by the time he had finished, his eyes were as light a shade of butterscotch as Carlisle's. I had never seen anyone drink this much blood, not even Emmett, who has a massive appetite. **

**Edward's POV**

**When I came back to my senses and returned to my normal self, I was standing in the middle of a forest and the carcass of a deer was lying before my feet. I felt my anger draining away, to be replaced with a massive feeling of guilt. I looked around to notice I wasn't alone- Alice and Jasper were with me. Jasper had a look of understanding in his eyes, and Alice's eyes held pity and concern. I couldn't bear to look at either of them. **

**_What must he be feeling now? He scared Bella half to death, and almost bit her. If he had, then he would have sucked her dry. _Alice's thoughts floated towards me and my eyes widened in horror. **

**_I almost bit Bella?_ I couldn't even look at my feet any more. I was disgusted with my self-control and myself. **

"**Edward," Jasper said, "It could have happened to anyone. You hadn't hunted for a while."**

**I shook my head- that was no excuse. _What the hell is Bella going to think of me now?_**

**I couldn't bear to stand beside Alice and Jasper any more; I began to run, getting as far away from them as possible. I heard them shout after me, but ignored them, and after a while they stopped following and left me. **

**Alice's POV**

**I could only imagine how Edward felt right now. _I'm going to kick Rosalie's ass for this, and hard, as soon as I get back!_**

**Jasper turned to me and took my face in his hands. **

"**Don't be angry with him, love," he said, meaning Edward. **

**I smiled at Jasper and put my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. "I'm not angry at Edward, I'm angry at Rosalie. She caused all of this."**

**Jasper looked into my eyes and leaned in, pressing his lips to mine gently. As always, his lips were cold, but his touch sent a shiver through me and down the back of my neck. **

"**Mmmmm," I muttered, kissing him back. **

**After a few seconds, he pulled away. "As much as I would love to stay here forever with you… we need to get back to the house." The regret in his voice was obvious. I smiled as I realised I must have the same effect on him that he had on me. **

**I ruffled his hair and began to skip forwards, wondering how I could manage to be happy at a time like this. I wondered if Jasper's emotion controlling had anything to do with it, but shrugged. _Who cares? Its good to be happy. _**

**Jasper appeared beside me and took my hand, and together we ran back to Forks. **

**Esme's POV**

**Bella hadn't come out of Edward's room since she had locked herself in there. We left her for an hour, for her to cool down, and then Carlisle went up and tried to explain to her, but all she would do was scream and scream, and wouldn't listen. I felt so sorry for her that my dead heart burned, but I couldn't do anything and was forced to listen to her racking sobs echo through the rest of the house. While she was up there, for the first half an hour, I paced around downstairs, but when Emmett asked me to stop it because it was bothering him, I stopped and went into the kitchen. **

**I quickly cooked up a batch of cookies for Bella, then left them to cool on the sideboard and went up to Carlisle's room. As I passed the door to Edward's room, I heard a muffled crying noise and sighed deeply. If Bella wouldn't listen to Carlisle, then we'd have to give her a bit longer to cool down. I didn't blame her; she had been attacked by a boy who she had never met, whose eyes had turned from topaz to black right in front of her, and who was insanely strong. For all she knew, he could have been trying to kill her. She must have been terrified. **

**As I opened the door to Carlisle's room, I found him pacing across the room as I had been doing earlier downstairs. He looked up when he saw me enter the room, and stood still. I went over and stood behind him, and began to massage his shoulders. He visibly relaxed and moaned softly. **

"**Esme…" he said quietly. **

"**Yes?"**

"**I can't get…" he said, and then paused, "Bella to come out of Edward's room." **

"**Don't worry about it," I said, and then turned him to face me. "She will come out in her own time."**

"**Are you sure?" Carlisle's face was worried and his butterscotch eyes were pleading. **

"**Positive," I said, and took Carlisle in my arms. It wasn't often that I did this; it was normally the other way around. Carlisle seemed to like being held as he rested his head on my shoulder. I rubbed my hand up and down his back. **

"**Will you try, Esme?" **

"**To get Bella out?" I asked.  
Carlisle nodded. **

"**Of course I will," I said, "But I think we should give her a little longer alone."**

**I let Carlisle go and we went downstairs, and sat beside Emmett on the sofa. Emmett was stubbornly facing the other way from Rosalie, and ignoring her. I admired his strength. Rosalie is a hard person to ignore, even more so when you were in love with her, as Emmett was. **

**As I watched TV blankly, I wondered what Edward was feeling right now. Had he gone back to normal yet, and beaten his vampire side back into submission? I hoped so. **

**Edward's POV**

**As I ran, I thought, _what the hell can I do now?_**

**I can't go back there. **

**I'm going to have to live somewhere else. **

**Trees flashed past me and dimly I recognised the scenery of the Denali National Park. I had run all the way to Alaska. **

**Just then, my phone beeped. I took it out of my pocket, slid it up and answered dully. "Edward speaking."**

"**Hi."**

"**Yes Alice?" I said, wondering why she was ringing. **

"**Where are you?" she said. **

"**Alaska," I said, and then realized that I shouldn't have told her because she might come out after me. I swore under my breath. **

"**What's wrong Edward?" she said, "Why did you run? And when are you coming back here?"**

**I didn't want to answer any of those questions and I was about to hang up when Alice snapped at me. **

"**I knew you were going to do this. Don't you DARE hang up on me!"**

"**Why not?" I murmured, still running. **

"**I asked you some questions and I want them answered!"**

**I hung up on her. **

**I clicked through the menus until I found the thing I wanted. I blocked Alice's number, so she wouldn't be able to call me again, and then slid my phone back into my pocket. Sighing deeply, I changed course so I wouldn't run into the family of vampires who lived in Denali, so I was going towards the coast. The weather had gotten much colder since I had left Forks, but I didn't feel it because I couldn't. **

**Emmett's POV**

**Alice snapped her phone shut angrily and turned to stare at all of us. **

"**He blocked my number!" she said, talking about Edward. **

**Rosalie laughed beside me, and disgusted, I stood up and went to sit beside Carlisle. She immediately stopped laughing. **

"**What the hell are we going to do?" Jasper said, betraying his usual self by not being calm in this situation. However, Carlisle was the same as always and his voice was steady. **

"**We ring him from a different phone."**

"**Who is going to ring him?" Esme asked. **

"**Not Rosalie, he wont listen to her," Alice snapped. **

**Rosalie gave her a dirty look and stalked into the kitchen. **

"**I think Carlisle should do it," I volunteered, "Edward respects him."**

"**Good idea, Emmett," Jasper smiled at me. **

**_Yes! _I thought, _SCORE!_ **

"**Alright," Carlisle said, and went over to his briefcase. He shuffled through stacks of papers and finally came out with his phone. He stuffed a couple of x-rays back into his bag and came to sit beside Esme. She put her arm around him. **

**Carlisle dialled Edward's number and mouthed to us, "Don't say anything. Keep quiet."**

**We nodded back at him. **

**The phone rang for almost a minute before Edward's voice rang out through the room. Carlisle had put him on loudspeaker. **

"**Yes?" **

**He sounded grouchy and angry. Not the best side of him, I have to admit. **

"**Edward?" Carlisle said. **

"**What?" Edward said rudely. **

**The room noticeably stiffened, but Carlisle ignored the tone of Edward's voice and carried on. **

"**Bella is in your room and she hasn't come out since you left." **

**Edward didn't answer, so Carlisle carried on. **

"**She is crying, and she has been for about two hours. It's all we can hear. She refuses to open the door and come out."**

**Still there was no answer, but Carlisle waited for Edward to speak. **

"**Why should I care?" Edward answered, his voice sounding velvety, but filled with hatred. Venom was dripping from the words that he spoke. **

**Carlisle raised his eyebrows at this. "I know you care, Edward."**

**Edward didn't answer again, and I thought he was going to hang up, but he didn't. **

"**Why else did you stop her from killing herself, if you didn't care?" Carlisle said. **

**_You can't win this argument Edward. Carlisle is right and you know it, _I thought. **

**This time when Edward answered, his voice had lost all of its strength and malice. He sounded like a little child and his voice was filled with guilt and sadness. **

"**Sorry Carlisle."**

"**It's all right, Edward."**

"**No, its not. You've been nothing but kind to me and this is how I repay you? I don't deserve to live with all of you."**

"**Now, come on Edward. We all have our moments."**

"**No, that's no excuse. I've behaved horribly and I should pay for it."**

**Edward and Carlisle's voice matched each other so closely that you wouldn't have been able to tell them apart, if not for the fact that we could see Carlisle's mouth moving as he spoke. They both spoke in the way of speaking that had come from their time as humans in centuries before. They would have been at home in a Victorian play. **

"**What are you going to do Edward?" Carlisle asked, "When are you coming home?"**

"**I'm not," was the answer. **

"**What?" Esme couldn't help saying. Her voice shook. **

"**Is that Esme?" Edward said. **

"**Yes, it is," Esme answered. **

"**Am I on loud speaker?" Edward said, a growl sounding through the phone. **

"**Er, yes…" Carlisle said. **

"**Who is there?" Anger rose in Edward's voice. **

**Carlisle looked at us and mouthed, "Shoo!" He gestured at us to go into the next room. **

"**Everyone's there," Edward said. "I know they are."**

"**Everyone apart from Bella," Alice said, "She's in your room."**

"**Don't you dare hang up, Edward," I said. **

"**Come back here, right now," Alice added, nodding at me. **

"**I can't come back," Edward said. The anger had once again gone from his voice. **

"**Edward," Jasper said, "If you don't come back, then all of us will come and get you to come back. You told Alice where you were, so we will find you."**

"**I'll just move," Edward said stubbornly. "I'm not in Alaska anymore anyway."**

"**Yes you are," Alice said. She had been quiet before, because she had been having a vision. "Don't try lying to us, Edward. Whenever you choose to go somewhere, I'll see where it is. You can't go anywhere without me knowing."**

**Edward swore under his breath and hung up. **

**I looked back at Carlisle, who was closing his phone. **

"**Does that mean he's coming back?" I asked. **

"**We'll have to wait and see…" Carlisle said, "Let's give him until tomorrow to get back, or we're going to find him."**

That was an extra long chapter for you guys  

**I hope you liked it!**

**And please, please review!**

**CullenLove xx**


	4. The Answers

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Stephenie's works. **

**Thank you everyone who reviews- I would write your names down but there are too many!**

**And thank you to Writing Bird who offered to be my Beta!**

**I would also like to say sorry for any mistakes before this chapter- like the fact that I put they had fangs- and they don't. I have now been on the information site (thanks to Writing Bird) and I know a bit more. Hopefully I wont make too many more mistakes!**

**Edward's POV**

_Damn Alice! Damn the whole lot of them!_

I stopped running and sat down on a rock. I was now in the middle of a town, but didn't care who saw me. They wouldn't know I was a vampire anyway.

I ran my hands through my hair angrily and swore loudly.

After about a minute sitting there, someone came up to me. I could hear their heartbeat, so I knew it was a human.

"Wanna come for a drink, babe?" the human drawled. It was a girl, who looked about seventeen. She stunk of alcohol, and no doubt, she was also high on drugs.

_God, he's sexy. I bet he's good in bed, _she thought.

I mentally retched and tried to block out her thoughts, but they just got louder.

_I wonder how big his- _

"ENOUGH!" I shouted, standing up with my fists clenched.

The girl looked at me quizzically. "What's wrong, hun?"

"Just stop thinking that!" I shouted in her face, but she didn't flinch or back away.

"Wanna come for a drink, babe?" She asked again.

"NO I DON'T BLOODY WANT TO GO FOR A DRINK WITH YOU!"

I stormed away from her and began to run, this time at human speed so she wouldn't suspect that I was a vampire. _What the hell is up with human girls? All they want to do is either commit suicide or turn into dirty sluts!_

The girl didn't follow me, thank god, and before I knew it, I was out of the town and running at vampire speed again.

**Alice's POV**

It had been three hours since Carlisle had spoken to Edward, and he hadn't come home yet. I wondered what he was doing. Just at that second, I felt a vision coming on, and broke off my conversation with Jasper to fall silent. He took my hand, understanding that I was about to have a vision.

_Edward was running at full pelt back towards America, and on his face was a look of anger and disgust. His fists were clenched, and he punched his arms back and forward rather unnecessarily violently as he ran. Trees, mountains and buildings flashed past him, but he ignored them all, only occasionally slowing down to jump over a river or stream. Finally, he slowed, and stopped beside a large sign that said, "Forks Welcomes You!"_

_He ran one hand through his hair and bit his lip, then sat on the ground. He thought for about half an hour, until he smelt something. Standing up, he looked behind him, and saw a pack of werewolves. They were standing in formation, partly hidden by the trees on the bend in the road. Silently they began to move towards him. _

_Edward froze, and made to run, because he was outnumbered and the wolves looked angry. One of the wolves growled at him, and in the next second, every wolf was once again a man, though they stood naked._

"_Stop."_

_The words came from the mouth of the leader, who was obviously in charge as he was the oldest and stood at the front of the formation_

"_Why?" Edward replied, bending his knees so that he could burst into action if they attacked. _

"_Do not ever trespass on our land again," they said as one, their voices perfectly in time with each other. _

"_I was on your land?" Edward said, his eyebrows creasing. _

"_You were," a boy said. He looked about sixteen and was standing behind the leader. He was very tall, and had dark hair that had been shaved short into the same style as the rest of them. "Remember me," the boy said, "I am Jacob, and I will rip you to pieces if you step foot on our land again."_

_Edward nodded, as by the treaty, he had been on their land and it was his wrongdoing. "I apologise."_

"_That will not help you next time, bloodsucker," the leader said, "Apologies mean nothing to us, coming from a leech's mouth."_

_Edward tensed as he heard the names that werewolves used for vampires. He was about to retort when the boys seemed to melt back into the covering of trees, and they disappeared._

_Edward turned, and began to run into Forks, leaving the sign behind him to melt into the fog that hung thick against the ground. _

I gasped as the image playing behind my eyelids faded, then disappeared. It was replaced by Jasper's face.

"What was it Alice?" he asked.

I looked about the room to see we were alone.

"Edward's coming back," I said, leaving out the part about the werewolves. He didn't need to know that.

"Was there anything else?" Jasper asked.

"No," I said, and he seemed satisfied. He pulled me up from the sofa in our room and led me downstairs, to where Rosalie and Emmett were sitting. Rosalie ignored us; because she was angry at the butt kicking we had given her as soon as we had got back from hunting. Emmett was playing on his X-box, blasting apart aliens as he played. The sound of shooting rattled out of the speakers attached to the TV, but it sounded tinny and fake.

"What the hell are you playing that for, Emmett?" Jasper said. "That's not what shooting sounds like! Weren't you there in the Cold War?"

"No," Emmett said.

"A gun makes this sort of sound," Jasper said, and demonstrated by making noises with his mouth. "That's nothing like it!"

"Ok, ok, calm down, Commander," Emmett said, "Go play with your toy soldiers!"

Jasper growled under his breath and started to move towards Emmett, but I grabbed his arm.

"This isn't the time for that, Jazz!"

He looked at me and nodded. "Fine."

"Where are Carlisle and Esme?" I asked Emmett.

He answered without looking away from the TV screen. "Kitchen."

I pulled Jasper towards the kitchen and swung the door open. Esme and Carlisle broke off from their conversation at once.

We sat down on the opposite side of the table from them and leant our heads in our hands. "You were saying?" I said to Carlisle.

Carlisle looked at Esme, who nodded, so he spoke.

"We were saying that before Edward comes back, we should get some of you out of the house."

"Why?" Jasper asked.

"Because he'll be feeling really guilty and he wont be able to look us in the eye at first. He'll feel worse if there are lots of us there."

"Yeah, you're right. Well some of us will have to go now, then. Edward's on his way back right now," I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," I said.

Carlisle got up from the table and went into the lounge. He chucked a fifty-pound note into Rosalie's lap. "Go out for the night, with Emmett."

"With Emmett?" Rosalie said, "I don't think so."

Esme went over to the TV and switched it off. "Go," she barked, "Now."

There was no arguing with Esme. She can be very scary when she wants to be. Rosalie stuffed the money into her purse and dragged Emmett up from the sofa.

"Come on," she said. The next minute they had gone.

**Edward's POV**

As I walked up the pathway of the house, their thoughts began to present themselves to me like they usually did.

_I wonder when he's going to get here, _Esme thought.

_I hope he's in a good mood when he gets back, _Jasper thought, _Because if he's angry or guilty then I'm going to be able to feel it, and I wont be able to help being affected by it. _

I tried to keep my emotions under control so it wouldn't bother Jasper, and as I knocked on the door, all I felt was calm. It was odd, because I couldn't sense Emmett's or Rosalie's thoughts, but I assumed they must be out. _Why would everyone be at home when I got back anyway? Who would even want to see me? _As usual, I couldn't sense Bella's thoughts.

Alice opened the door, and immediately enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug. I couldn't feel pain, and my bones couldn't break, but I swear I heard something crack.

"Hi Alice," I said dully.

"Come on, Edward," she said, holding me by the shoulders to look at me. I kept my eyes down- I couldn't meet her gaze. "Have some spirit!"

Jasper appeared beside her and clapped me on the back. I managed a weak smile.

"Welcome back," he said.

Carlisle walked across the room towards me and I wanted to run again. I felt so bad. These people had stood by me and helped me in every way possible, and I had just run away from them and been rude to them.

Carlisle hugged me.

"Edward," he said, and smiled. "Welcome home."

"Sorry Carlisle. I really am sorry."

"Don't worry Edward," Carlisle said, ruffling my hair. "It happens to all of us."

I was about to say something else but Esme put her finger over my lips. "I missed you, Edward. Don't run away again," she said.

_Oh sweet, sweet Esme. How could I have hurt her, hurt all of them like this? _

"I wont," I choked into her hair.

_If he were human, I'd feed him some chocolate chip cookies. Its lovely to come home to some freshly baked cookies- especially when you've had a rough day, _Esme thought.

"Well, I can't eat cookies, but I'm sure Bella can," I said.

"She wont come out of her room," Esme said. "I'd give her the whole batch if she did. She needs feeding up."

I walked over and plonked myself in the chair, putting my head in my hands. _What have I done?_

Alice froze and seemed to be having another vision. After a few minutes, she spoke.

"Bella won't come out of her room unless you go up there, Edward."

"What?" I said.

Alice repeated what she had said.

"I hardly think the person Bella wants to see is me," I said, and felt Esme's hand on my shoulder.

"I think Alice is right," Esme said.

"I would say, 'You caused this problem, you should fix it', but I think that's a bit harsh here. But you get my point," Carlisle said softly.

"It wasn't Edward's fault," Jasper said, "I understand what he's feeling."

_Of course he does, _I thought, _He knows exactly what I'm feeling. In fact, he knows exactly what I'm feeling all the time. _

"Thanks, Jazz," I said.

He clapped me on the shoulder again. "It's not as if I can help it, though."

"Edward," Alice said sternly, "You have to go up there. I know for a fact that Bella won't come out unless you go up!"

"Alice can see the future," Esme said. "I think she'd know."

"Fine," I said. I got up from the chair and trudged towards the stairs. Climbing them slowly, I ran my fingers along the handrail.

_I hope she comes out soon, _Esme thought, _She hasn't eaten for hours. I wonder what she's been doing in there!_

I heard her thoughts and wondered myself what exactly she has been doing in my room. I wouldn't be surprised if she's tearing up all my things right now.

I decided to take a shower before I attempted to get Bella out of my room. I wanted to feel the water warm me.

"Jazz?" I shouted back down the stairs.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Can I borrow some clothes?"

"Sure," Jazz said.

I went into the room he shared with Alice. Two wardrobes stood on the right wall. It was obvious which was Alice's, because it wouldn't close properly as she had so much stuff in it. I saw a tiny black lacy nightgown on the bed, and raised my eyebrows. _I didn't know Alice wore that sort of stuff!_

I opened Jasper's wardrobe and saw all the clothes hanging neatly on colour-coded hangers. Esme must have organised it for him. I shuffled through the clothes until I found some plain black jeans, and a loose white shirt. I took a pair of socks from the bottom of the wardrobe, and then snapped it shut. With the clothes over my arm, I walked into the bathroom.

We didn't have a lock on the door, because the room didn't have one when we brought the house. This hadn't bothered any of us, so we had never got one put in. I slung my clothes on the chair and closed the door.

I switched the shower on and got undressed, then stepped in and closed the door. I had the water as hot as it would go, and even then, it hardly warmed me. I took a long shower, then got out and wrapped myself in a towel. The mirrors were all misted up and I rubbed a small section so I could see my reflection.

Topaz eyes looked back at me. I ruffled my hair and dried myself, then got dressed in Jasper's clothes. They fit me fine, as Jasper and I were almost the same height. As I did up the buttons of the shirt, I realised that the top one was missing. That must be why I hadn't seen Jasper wearing this in a while. I shrugged it off and stepped out of the bathroom, and flicked the light switch off.

Alice's thoughts floated upstairs to me, _oh my god. Edward decided to wear that white shirt! The one I broke the button of when Jasper and I were— _I shook my head and hummed a tune so that I didn't have to listen to the rest of Alice's thoughts. Sometimes they forgot that I could hear everything they were thinking.

The door to my room was locked and I rapped on it with my knuckles. I waited for a few seconds, and knocked again.

"Bella?" I said. "Can you please let me in?"

I heard a muffled sobbing and her answer. Her nose was blocked and it came out muffled.

"No."

"Bella, I need to get some clothes." I tried this but knew that it probably wouldn't work."You're in my room, you know."

"Borrow someone else's."

"Please Bella."

"No."

"I can explain," I said. I rested my head on the door. In one second I could have broken the door down, but I knew that Bella would be very scared if I did this, and that she would think I was a monster. In fact, she probably already did.

"Explain what?" she said.

"Everything. Why I kissed you, why I attacked you, everything. And I can explain why I stopped you from killing yourself, and how I knew where you were."

I knew I had aroused her interest, but she still didn't open the door.

"How do I know you wont attack me again, as soon as I open the door?" Bella said.

I sighed deeply. "You can't. You just have to trust me."

Bella was silent for a full ten minutes, thinking. It frustrated me that I didn't know what she was thinking about, but I waited patiently. I heard the lock scraping in the door and she opened it slowly. She was shaking with fear, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. I stopped breathing, just in case what happened before might happen again. Though I knew it wouldn't happen again, I had more self-control now. And I wouldn't let it.

"Edward," Bella sighed.

"Bella," I sighed back.

She stepped back to let me in the room, her eyes following me. I sensed her looking me up and down from the back as I walked to the centre of the room. She shut the door, and then sat on my sofa.

The room was exactly as it had been the last time I had left it.

"What were you doing in here?" I said.

"Listening to music," she answered, gesturing at my speakers.

"What music?" I said. I took the CD out and noticed it was music I had composed myself on the piano.

"I don't know who it's by," Bella said, "It was such beautiful music! I wanted to buy it after I'd heard it, so I looked, but the CD was blank. Did you download it from the internet?"

"No," I said, "I wrote it."

Bella's eyes widened.

I put the CD back in and pressed play. It hummed quietly out from the speakers and I saw Bella relax. Her heartbeat, which before had been thudding out a quick rhythm, slowed to normal speed.

"So…" she said, not wanting to speak as the music played. "Why did you save me?"

"I have to start from the start," I said.

Bella nodded, then stiffened as I sat beside her on the sofa. I kept a large distance between us, but still she looked tense.

_I won't hurt you, Bella. I won't hurt you ever again, _I thought. _She has to trust me, or she won't believe anything I say, though. I'm going to have to prove to her that I mean her no harm. _

"Bella?" I said.

"Yes?"

"Don't be scared," I said, and I moved closer to her on the sofa. I took her arms and looked her in the eyes. She looked straight back at me, and I could see her fear fading. Her eyes were locked with mine, and I looked straight at her. Straight at her into the chocolate brown pools that she had for eyes. They were so deep… I could feel myself getting lost in them.

I tried to move my gaze away but couldn't, and could feel myself moving closer to Bella. She blinked and her dark eyelashes fluttered against her pale skin. "Edward," she moaned. "Edward…"

I began to breathe, taking in her scent. It was so unlike the vampire scent I smelt all day on my family and I. It was floral, a mix between lavender and freesia. I inhaled deeply, and breathed out again.

**Bella's POV**

Edward was holding both of my hands in his, and sitting very close. Oddly, I wasn't scared at all. My fear had faded as soon as I had locked gazes with him, and looked into his topaz eyes.

"Edward," I moaned, "Edward…"

He ignored me, just leaned closer. His breath fanned across my face, and it was the nicest smell I had ever smelt. I could feel myself getting dizzy, but I didn't move away because I couldn't. I just wanted to breathe in his smell forever.

Then I collapsed.

**Edward's POV**

I had just taken a deep breath when Bella went limp in my arms, and blacked out against my chest.

"Bella!" I called softly. _What brought that on?_

Worry rose up in my chest, as I shook Bella and she didn't move.

I heard a bang, and Jasper, Alice, Esme and Carlisle appeared in my doorway. The door had slammed against the wall as Alice had thrown the door open forcefully. Esme frowned but didn't comment.

"I sensed your worry," Jasper explained. "What is it?"

"It's Bella," I said, lifting her up and laying her on the sofa. Her eyes were still closed. "She just collapsed!"

Carlisle came over and examined her.

"What's wrong with her?" I said, worried for her health.

"She's very thin," Carlisle explained after a few minutes, "She mustn't have been fed much at her home. And she hasn't eaten all day."

Esme rushed out of the room and appeared a few seconds later back in the doorway. She had run at vampire speed down to the kitchen, and in her arms she carried the whole batch of cookies, a glass of water, a banana, a piece of bread with butter on it, and a bar of chocolate.

She laid the tray on the table beside the sofa, and kneeled down beside Bella. Jasper and Alice came over to me.

"What happened?" Alice said.

"Don't you already know?" I said.

"I didn't have a vision of this. I was… distracted."

"By what?" I asked.

Alice looked like she would have blushed if she could have done, "Erm, by… Jasper." _He better not ask what we were doing! _Alice thought.

I just raised my eyebrows.

"So what happened?" Jasper asked.

"I was looking at her, and she just collapsed!" I said.

Carlisle turned around. "Were you sitting close to her?" he said.

"About…" I moved closer to Alice, so that there was about a millimetre between us, "This close."

"God, what were you doing?" Alice said.

"Holding her hands… trying to get her to trust me," I said, standing back from Alice again.

"You didn't _breathe _on her did you?" Carlisle asked.

"Well… yeah. I did."

"That's probably part of it," Carlisle deduced.

"Part of what?" I asked impatiently.

"Jasper told me that Bella was your singer. She must be, for you to have so little control with her. Well, some singers have a connection with the vampires who yearn for their blood."

"What sort of connection?"

"They are deeply _attracted _to the vampire. More so than other humans."

Jasper snorted loudly, and Alice elbowed him. He openly started laughing then, until I punched him in the ribs.

"So you're saying… Bella…" I started, but was too embarrassed to continue.

However, Jasper finished my sentence for me, "Bella thinks you're fit."

Alice giggled and stuck her fist in her mouth to try and keep quiet. It didn't work.

I couldn't believe we were having this discussion.

"So what can I do?" I said. "I can't have her fainting every time I look at her, or breathe on her!"

"Try not wearing clothes like that next time," Carlisle said.

"Like what?" I said, looking myself up and down. "These clothes are Jasper's!"

"You can see half your chest," Alice laughed. "The top button has gone."

"So?" I said stubbornly.

"Have you ever thought that everyone might not want to see your whole body?" Jasper laughed. "Try not wearing such provocative clothing next time, Edward."

"Don't tease him," Esme said, but they ignored her.

I looked down at my chest. It was the same as ever, pale and muscled.

"What's wrong with it?" I said.

"Nothing," Esme said, "It's lovely."

"Yeah, you have a fit chest, Edward," Alice said.

Jasper growled.

"But yours is nicer," Alice said to him.

I sighed loudly. "This is stupid."

Jasper and Alice laughed and Carlisle frowned.

Just at that second, Bella moaned and opened her eyes.

"Bella?" I said, trying to keep my voice even. Once again, I wished I could hear her thoughts.

"Edward?" she answered, her eyes looking up into mine.

"Yes?" I said.

"What happened?"

"You… fainted. I think."

"Why?" Bella asked.

This was one question I didn't want to answer. I could hear Carlisle starting to explain, so I interrupted.

"We don't know," I said. I looked at Carlisle and warned him with my eyes not to start such an embarrassing conversation with Bella.

He raised an eyebrow but stopped speaking.

"I brought some food for you," Esme said gently to Bella.

Bella smiled shyly. "Thank you, Mrs. Cullen."

"Just Esme will do fine, dear."

Bella picked up the banana and took a big bite. Jasper couldn't contain his interest and watched Bella openly as she chewed and swallowed.

"What?" Bella asked him once she had finished her bite.

"How can you eat that?" Jasper said.

"What?" Bella said, "What's wrong with bananas?"

"No," Jasper said, "I mean food. How can you eat it?"

Bella's eyebrows knitted together.

"Jasper," I hissed, too low and quick for Bella to hear, "She doesn't know what we are."

"Oh. Sorry," Jasper said back. "But why haven't you told her? She's really confused- about everything. I can feel it."

"Why haven't you told her, Edward?" Esme asked.

"I was going to- but then she collapsed."

"Tell her now, then," Carlisle said.

"Bella- I'm a vampire," I said in a normal voice.

"What?" Bella said, her tone questioning my sanity.

"I'm a vampire," I repeated.

"I didn't mean tell her like that," Carlisle said, "You could lead her up to it."

"By saying what?" I said.

"What are you talking about, Edward?" Bella said.

"I am a vampire," I said slowly as if talking to an old person.

"Edward," Jasper said, "This isn't helping. She's even more confused now."

"Are you insane?" Bella asked me.

"Probably," I answered shortly, looking out the window.

"Is this a joke?" Bella asked. The banana she had been eating was frozen in her hand. She hadn't moved since I'd told her.

"No," Alice said. "We are all vampires."

Bella looked confused again. "You're… all… vampires?" Bella's mouth was gaping open and when she spoke she looked like a fish. I chuckled quietly.

"Edward." Bella turned to me. "I trust you."

"You should," I answered.

"Will you show me?"

"Show you what?"

"That you are a vampire."

Immediately I growled and my voice turned icy cold of its own accord. "You want me to drink your blood, or something?"

"Well…" Bella said, "Isn't there any other way to show me what you say is true?"

"I thought you trusted me."

"I do, but it would be nice to see."

"You're wrong," I said.

"Why?"

"It would most definitely not be nice to see."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Are you insane?" I asked, echoing her question from before.

"Probably," she answered quickly, like I had done before.

I raised one eyebrow and turned away, walking out of the room.

"Sorry about that," I heard Alice say from behind, "He's a bit touchy about that subject."

I growled threateningly back at her, but she ignored me. I descended the marble staircase and swept into the lounge, walking towards the front door. I pulled my car keys off the hook they lay on, grabbed my coat, and closed the door with a bang.

**Rosalie's POV**

Emmett still seems a bit pissed off with me, and I don't know why. Why was he so bothered about this human? That's all she is. She's nothing special. And I don't know what I am supposed to have done. All I did was tell Edward to prove to me that he wasn't hungry. It was his choice to try and prove it— even if it did go wrong. I didn't have anything to do with that.

Emmett walked beside me, holding my hand, even if it was lightly. His face was turned away from me. We had been to watch a film already, and now we were going to a club. I honestly hadn't been to a club for a long time, and all the music I had in my car was Edward's. He had taken away all of my CDs and replaced them with copies of his, saying my music was rubbish and I should try listening to his.

I had grumpily agreed to try out his music, but I hadn't actually listened to any of it yet. And I didn't plan to.

So, back to the club. I wanted to listen to some modern pop or dance music, and the club in Port Angeles was the perfect place to do it. Emmett apparently didn't mind where we went.

"Rosalie?" Emmett said.

"Yes?"

"How long is it till we get there?" he asked.

I smiled. "Not long."

We turned the corner and the club was right in front of us. It had a massive sign that glowed and glittered, and two bodyguards barred the door. Though neither of them would have been any match against Emmett or me.

"Welcome," one said in a husky voice, particularly to me, and winked.

Emmett growled angrily under his breath, and the bodyguards must have sensed his anger, because they ushered us inside. We didn't even have to pay.

Loud music hit us as soon as we entered, and blasted my eardrums. I smiled- this was just what I needed. The dance floor was large and filled with dancing couples, and a long bar stretched across one side of the room. Several smaller rooms led off from this one, and the air was thick with smoke and throbbing lights.

"Want to dance?" I asked Emmett in my most seductive voice. I looked up at him from under my lashes and parted my lips slightly.

"Y… yeah," Emmett choked, taking my hand.

God, he was such a sucker for my charm.

I looked down at my clothes to check that they were presentable for a club. I was wearing a very short denim skirt, which was ruffled. Around my waist was an expensive belt, which had cost me more than three hundred dollars, and my long legs were bare down to a pair of black strappy heels. My top was very tight and a dark red colour, to match my belt, and my blonde hair was tied back with a flower clip. Several curls escaped the clip to fall around my face.

Emmett had always told me that he loved this top, so I wore it when I wanted to make something up to him, or wanted him to do things my way.

Emmett led me to the centre of the dance floor, dodging past other couples. The spotlight was right over our heads. Emmett took my hand and began to dance in the old fashioned way, which he had learnt as a young man, but I stopped him and whispered in his ear.

"Why don't you let me lead?"

"Alright," Emmett answered.

I then took his hand and began to dance my way.

When the song ended, Emmett was out of breath, even though he didn't need to breathe.

He was panting and staring at me.

"I've never seen you dance like that, before."

I raised one eyebrow and gave him a small smile. I leaned forward, snaked my arms around his neck, and kissed him on his lips. He put his hands on my waist, and kissed me back.

"Eww," I heard someone say, "Get a room."

I leant back and glared at a boy who was surely too young to come into a club. I bared my teeth and growled loudly, and his eyes widened. He ran from me quickly, and flew out of the door of the club. I smiled widely, and turned back to Emmett.

"I love you," I said to him.

He ran his tongue over his sharp white teeth, and as his answer, he picked me up in his arms and kissed me deeply, pressing our bodies together in the smoky haze.

**Bella's POV**

I was upset that Edward had left- it hurt me deeply for some reason. I could just see his face in my mind, eyes smouldering, and sweet breath coming quickly against my face, his body close. Telling me to trust him.

_Oh Edward. I am sorry. _

I sat up on his sofa and looked around the room. The others had left me, and Esme was the only one in the room.

She was staring at my face; probably trying to gauge what emotions I was feeling.

"Bella?" she said softly. Her voice was like a small bell chiming and it calmed me.

"Yes?" I replied, taking a last bite of the toast. I had eaten everything she had brought up, just left one cookie on the plate. I had been leaving it for Edward, but according to the stories, he drank blood, so he probably wouldn't want the cookie.

"Do you want to know some more about us?" Esme asked.

"Yes, please," I said enthusiastically to Esme, leaning forward. She patted my shoulder and sat opposite me. I noticed that I couldn't hear her breathe.

"We drink blood, but only the blood from animals," Esme told me, "So you have nothing to worry about, dear."

I nodded, relief filling me. Of course, this lovely family wouldn't hurt me. Edward had told me so himself.

Esme then proceeded to tell me the rest of the family's history and ways. My head was beginning to hurt with all this new information; but I believed every bit of it, because Edward had told me it was true.


	5. Can I Have A Kiss?

Here is another chapter for you guys! Sorry it took a while, I had a friend over for three days and we were playing ping-pong constantly so I didn't have time! Also it's a bit late because I now send it to my Beta to be checked 

That's why there are so few or no mistakes in this chapter! Thank Writing Bird and my checking over three times of each post!

Enjoy the chapter!

CullenLove

Edward's POV

I sped through Forks in my car, going almost three times the speed limit. Then I realized that I didn't know where I wanted to go. I stopped the car by a row of shops, and locked it. My lovely reliable, fast car.

I walked slowly along the street, thinking.

_What am I going to do with Bella? What Carlisle said… it bothers me. She's my singer, and it's hard to be next to her. She just smells so… delicious. Very appetising… I can't even imagine how good her blood must taste._

_But I can't drink her blood, because I can't take someone's life like that. I wont turn anyone into a monster._

My eyes lingered on shop windows, but nothing interested me. I pushed open the door to a music shop, and browsed the shelves uninterestedly. This was odd; usually I loved looking at music. I wondered what was wrong with me.

Bella's face kept coming into my mind, beautiful, sweet Bella. I found myself imagining how her warm skin would feel against my cold chest. Whether she could warm the spot where my heart was, which was always even colder than the rest of my body. My dead heart.

I wondered whether I could love someone. Esme could love anyone and anything, it was her gift. But me… I wasn't sure. I remembered my human mother enough to know that I had loved her, but now, with no beating heart, was it possible to feel the same emotions a human did? Could a demon love?

I selected two CDs by Kelly Clarkson, called 'Breakaway' and 'My December'. I had made Rosalie listen to my music, so really I should listen to some of her's. It was only fair.

I put the money on the counter for them and stared blankly ahead. The shop keeper's thoughts came into my mind.

_Hmmm… Kelly Clarkson? Not what he normally buys. He normally buys rock music. I wonder if he's all right. I don't think he'd normally even look at this type of music. I suppose its none of my business… but… _

"Sir?" the attendant asked.

I raised my eyes to look into hers. She always served me- whenever I came into the shop, she would come out of the back room and stand by the desk. She always seemed happy- I don't know how she managed it. She reminded me of Esme.

She pushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear and looked at me with her blue eyes. I noticed that they were a light, slate blue. I also noticed that she was very pretty. I didn't normally look at girls, because I couldn't go out with a human, and none of them were interesting. They were all so predictable. This girl, however, always looked out for others. I wondered at the fact that she never seemed to think about herself, she was always thinking about how she could help other people.

"Yes?" I said.

"Are you… all right sir?" she said shyly.

I nodded.

"Would you like a drink?" she asked, "You can come into the back room if you want."

I shook my head straight away. It was lucky for her I didn't want a drink, because she'd probably be dead if I did. I chuckled quietly. "I'm fine, but thank you."

"Are you sure, sir? I can't get you anything to eat or drink?"

"No, no," I said, taking the change she passed me. She handed over the two CDs, which she had wrapped in a paper bag. I turned to leave.

"Make sure you come again," she smiled. _He really brightens my day._

I frowned at her thoughts and walked out of the shop faster than I maybe should have. _What is she thinking that for? _

I could hear her thoughts all the way down the street.

_Such a polite young man, _she thought, _I could do with someone like that. I always get messed around- what is it about me that means I can't find a boyfriend who doesn't leave me in under a week? _

I sighed deeply. Sometimes I wished I didn't have this gift. It wasn't fair that I knew what everyone was thinking. Their thoughts were supposed to be private- for them only. I felt like a sneak.

I backtracked and realized that I had thought wrong. I couldn't hear what everyone was thinking. Bella was my only exception.

I drove back to the house thoughtfully, playing the music I had just brought. I was surprised that I could find meaning in the words- all of the songs seemed genuine and real emotionally. I could relate to them.

I parked my Volvo in the drive and went up into the house, leaving the two CDs in the car. Emmett and Jasper were both downstairs, talking about racing cars, and which was the best make of car. Esme was in the kitchen, probably looking for some none-existent spot of dust, and Carlisle I could hear was in his study- I assumed he was reading. Rosalie, Alice and Bella were nowhere to be seen. I went over to Jasper and Emmett and they greeted me like they always did.

"Hey Edward," Emmett said.

"You're back then?" Jasper said, stating the obvious.

I nodded and sat down beside them, not really listening to their conversation.

"Where is Bella?" I asked.

"With Alice and Rosalie," Jasper said.

"Apparently they are all giving each other makeovers," Emmett raised his eyebrows

I mumbled something and went over to my piano. I lifted open the lid, and ran my fingers over the white and black keys. My hands exactly matched the colour of the white keys- if anything, they were a paler white. I pressed lightly on the keys, softly beginning to play a melody that I had made up. It was the same one that Bella had complimented before.

Alice's POV

It was so much fun to make over Bella- even though she complained almost continuously. I curled her hair, and then tied it back in a loose ponytail so the curls of brown hair fell down her back and around her neck. I put gold eyeshadow on her eyelids, then a darker gold nearer to her eye. Rosalie did the rest of her makeup, while I picked some clothes for her to wear. I dressed her in a short denim skirt; similar to the one Rosalie was wearing tonight, and some flat black shoes. I picked out my favourite gold top, which hung off the shoulders, and then put some gold dangly earrings in Bella's ears.

"Alice…" she moaned.

"Sssh," I said, putting one finger over her lips. "You look beautiful."

"But what is it _for_?" Bella muttered.

Rosalie answered, "We are going to shock the boys," she grinned.

I wondered at the fact that Rosalie was being nice to Bella, but came to the conclusion that it must be because she was in a good mood. I wondered what had brought it on. Probably her night out with Emmett.

"Have you ever heard the song 'Can I Have a Kiss?'" I asked Bella.

"Yeah," she said, "By Kelly Clarkson?"

"Well," I said, "I saw Edward buying the CD in a vision."

"Edward brought a CD by _Kelly Clarkson_?" Rosalie said, sounding shocked.

"Yeah," I said. "I know."

"What about the song?" Bella asked.

"Well, do you know the words?" I asked.

Rosalie and Bella both nodded. Then Rosalie ran out of the room, and came back with the CD from her room, a few seconds later.

"We are going to play it, and sing along," I said to Rosalie, talking so fast that Bella wouldn't understand, with her human ears.

"Why aren't we telling Bella?" Rosalie asked, her voice even faster and lower than mine had been.

"We can tell her we are doing karaoke," I said. "I don't want her to know that the boys will be watching."

"Why?"

"I just don't."

"All right," Rosalie said, then spoke in a normal voice, "Bella? We are going to do some karaoke."

"…All right," Bella said suspiciously.

I pulled her up from the chair and out of my room.

"Stay here for a moment," I said to Rosalie, and ran down the stairs, jumping them in fours. I ran over to where the three boys were sitting, and whispered in Jasper's ear.

"Jasper?" I used a purposefully smooth voice, my lips right near his ear.

He turned around and answered in a low voice, "Alice."

"We are doing some karaoke and dancing," I said, "Will you all watch?"

"Of course," Jasper said straight away. He couldn't say no when I spoke in this voice.

_This is too easy, _I thought, giggling quietly.

"Alice," Edward said sternly, "What's too easy?"

I remembered he could read my thoughts and promised myself that I would be more careful not to think about anything secret around him.

"Nothing," I answered, and bounded back up the stairs.

Edward's POV

_Karaoke and dancing? What are they planning?_

"What do you think's going on?" I asked the other two.

"I don't see that anything is going on," Emmett said, "What's wrong with a bit of karaoke?"

"You didn't hear what Alice was thinking," I answered.

Just at that moment, Alice and Rosalie descended the stairs. Rosalie went over to the massive speakers we had in the room, and put a CD in.

"Welcome," Alice said in a loud voice, "To the show!"

I raised one eyebrow but Alice just nodded at me. They certainly had our full attention now. Rosalie pressed play, and at the same moment, Bella appeared at the top of the stairs. She was blushing deeply, _and how beautiful it looked with her skin, _and she began to walk down the stairs slowly, careful not to trip up. She was looking at her feet all the way down, so I stared at her openly, because she wouldn't be able to see.

Her hair was falling around her face and neck, which accentuated her pale skin. Her eyes were bright and warm, and her cheeks were glowing with energy and life. Life that no vampire would ever have again. I tried to look away, but my eyes were fixed on her. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, and looked up, she noticed my gaze, and blushed even deeper. I still couldn't tear my gaze away.

Her scent had by now filled the room, testing my control yet again. It filled my head and sent all of my thoughts into spirals. I wondered at the fact that someone could do this to me. I had always thought I was going to 'go solo' for the rest of my existence. It seemed I was wrong.

Jasper and Emmett were staring at their respective wives, and I switched my gaze to Rosalie and Alice as Bella joined them. They were standing in a line, and for the first time ever, I compared them.

First, Alice. Her beauty was impish and fairy-like, her small limbs made her graceful, and her spiky hair and full lips made her smile look cheeky. Her voice was like wind chimes striking each other, and it was very beautiful.

Next, Rosalie. She was beautiful in an obvious sort of way, the sort that everyone noticed right away. Her long blonde hair was silky and slightly wavy, and her flawless skin made her look like a model of the Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite.

And finally, Bella. She out-compassed the others in beauty- her skin seemed to glow with vitality and health. There was an aura around her, and she never failed to shock me; her voice was soft and held undercurrents of kindness. And her _smell. _I couldn't even begin to describe it.

Alice looked up and spoke again. "Please come and dance with us."

Bella looked over at her with wide eyes. She had obviously not expected Alice to spring that one on her.

"But Alice-" she started, but Alice cut her off.

"You'll be fine. I know, I saw in a vision," and she grinned at Bella, then put her hands around Jasper's neck and begin to dance to the song that was slowly filling up the room.

Emmett went over to Rosalie, and took her waist, and they began to dance.

I stood up gingerly, wondering whether Bella wanted to dance. She was standing looking awkward, obviously battling with her thoughts inside. I walked over to her, and offered her my hand. She took it, and I held it gently, revelling in the warmth her skin gave mine.

Then all three began to sing, and their voices blended together in a more beautiful harmony than I could ever play on my piano.

"_Excuse me for this,_

_I just want a kiss._

_I just want to know what it feels like to touch_

_Something so pure._

_Something I'm so sure of,_

_What it feels like to stand outside your door._

I'm unworthy, 

_I can see you're above me,_

_But I can be lovely given the chance."_

Bella looked up at me as she sang, and I watched her full lips move around the words. She seemed to be singing this to _me. _Like she was speaking to me, and she had written the song about both of us. I took her waist and spun her around, and she put her hands on my chest.

"_Don't move_

_I want to remember you just like this_

_Don't move_

_It's only a breath or two between our lips._

_I know why you left_

_I can't blame you myself_

_Must be hard living with ghosts and such an empty shell_

_I tried to warn you_

_I've been a mess since you've known me._

_I can't promise forever_

_But I'm working on it._

_If I can't hold you _

Can I give you a kiss 

_Can I have a kiss?"_

Bella leaned closer and her breath made my mind whirl again. I could tell my eyes were going black with hunger, and I couldn't stop them smoldering. It was like the onyx was on fire. Like my whole body was on fire.

"I see that you're torn 

_I've got some scars of my own."_

Bella smiled as she said these lines, probably remembering the small white scars she had on her wrists from when she tried to commit suicide.

"_Seems I want what I know is gonna leave me hungry."_

I joined in with this one line. Oh, how true it was. Bella always left me hungry- always wanting more.

"_Don't move._

_I need to remember you just like this._

_I know why you left,_

_I can't blame you myself_

_Must be hard living with ghosts and such an empty shell_

_I tried to warn you_

_I've been a mess since you've known me._

_I can't promise forever_

_But I'm working on it._

_If I can't hold you,_

_Can I give you a kiss,_

_Can I?_

_All I have,_

_All I can give to you I will._

_Just promise this-_

_If I can't have forever,_

_Can I have a kiss?"_

I slid my hands down onto Bella's hips and she blushed again, her eyes fixed on mine. I could see nothing but her- this was our world. No one else existed.

"_I know why you left_

_I can't blame you myself_

_Must be hard living with ghosts and such an empty shell_

_I tried to warn you_

_I've been a mess since you've known me_

_I can't promise forever _

_But I'm working on it."_

Of course Bella couldn't promise forever. Only I could promise forever- and silently I whispered the words to her. She didn't hear, but I was promising myself as much as her. Bella span closer and her face was a centimetre from mine. I could smell her scent even stronger, and it made the monster inside me wake. Not the monster that thirsted for her blood, the monster that wanted her all to myself, forever. I knew that I could never leave her.

Her red lips were a centimetre from mine, and the next words in the song she breathed against my face.

"_If I can't hold you,_

_Can I give you a kiss?_

_Can I give you a kiss?_

_Can I, can I,_

_Can I have a kiss?"_

I leant forward, my arms snaking around her neck. I could feel her hands in my hair, gently encouraging my head forward. I pressed my lips against hers gently, aware of how breakable she was. She responded by parting her lips, and how much I wanted to carry on kissing her then. But I couldn't, I couldn't let her near my teeth, razor-sharp and venom coated as they were.

I took her face in my hands, and she closed her eyes. I kissed her eyelids tenderly, and then worked my way down to her mouth again.

"Don't move," I whispered.

She went unresponsive under my hands. I put my head against her neck, and felt her heartbeat thudding against my chest. I could hear the blood pulsing through her veins. After a few minutes, I pulled back smiling a half-smile I had come to reserve for her.

She leaned forward again, and her lips pressed against mine. I sighed deeply, and she grinned slightly. I tilted my head to the side, and this time it was her hands on my face. I could feel my cold cheeks warming slightly under her hands. She started to pull her hands back after a few seconds, but I held her hands against my face to stop her from moving.

"Don't stop," I moaned.

She pressed lightly with her fingertips, and the heat of her life warmed me.

"Edward," she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Alice are all watching," she grinned.

I didn't take my eyes off her, but growled deeply and bared my teeth. I could see Bella flinch slightly, but I heard a slight pattering as the others all left the room.

My smile returned.

"Now we're alone…" I muttered in a low voice.

Bella shivered and moved closer to me. She looked up at me from under her eyelashes, and her fingers lingered on the button of my shirt. She was asking my permission.

As her answer, I took her hands in mine and began to move her fingers so the buttons opened one by one. I let go of her hands as she reached the last button, and then she pulled the shirt from my shoulders, dropping it to the floor behind me.

I leaned down and picked her up in my arms, her head resting against my chest. I carried her over to the sofa, and on the way past, I switched the song onto repeat. I put her down on the sofa, and sat down beside her. She pressed herself against me, moulding our bodies so that we looked like one. She leant her head against my chest.

"You really don't have a heartbeat," she whispered, running her hands over my chest.

I nodded gently.

"Can you hear?" she asked.

"Hear what?"

"My heartbeat? You smiled when I come into the room and my heart rate increased when I saw you."

"Yes, I can hear it."

We were silent for a few minutes, listening to the song.

"Why don't you change me?" Bella asked suddenly.

"Change you?"

My voice held a warning and Bella seemed to notice. Her answer was timid. I could feel her lips moving against my chest.

"Into a vampire."

"I don't think so," I answered.

"Why not?" Bella asked stubbornly.

"I don't think so," I repeated.

Bella dropped it.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"I haven't known you for long at all," she said.

"Yes… and?" _Where is she going with this?_

"I can't stop thinking about you."

"Hmmm," I said against her hair, breathing in her smell deeply.

"Aren't you going to reply?" Bella said quietly.

"I can't stop thinking about you either," I breathed against her neck.

She shivered, but smiled. "Thank you for saving my life."

"No problem," I grinned.

We silent again, happy just to be so close to each other. Minutes passed.

I was reminded of Romeo and Juliet, who had fallen in love quickly too. We were just like them.

_But I hope we don't end up like them, _I thought.

"Bella?" I whispered.

She didn't answer.

I lifted her curtain of hair from her face and noticed that her eyes were closed. _She's asleep! _

I prised her off my chest and stood up. Lifting her gently, I carried her upstairs and lay her on my sofa. She didn't wake up. Then, I went to see Carlisle.

That was an especially fluffy chapter for you guys! I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it! Tell me if you want more stuff like this, and give me some constructive criticism in a review.

I have already written the next chapter and it has a plot twist/cliff hanger in it and I think you are going to like it, so review lots and it will come faster!

CullenLove x


	6. Victoria

**Here is an extra long chappie because I have neglected you people a bit! It's just I've gone back to school and it's quite stressful!**

**Thank you to everyone who still helps to point out things wrong with my fanfic. I have asked my Beta to tell me when I use English phrases that aren't used in America, that the Cullens wouldn't use. I think you can all probably understand that this is one thing that is hard for me because I'm English and I don't know what expressions you use and don't use!**

**People have asked me to include some of Bella's history into this chapter, so I have done just that! Thank you for your suggestions!**

**And sorry for the very long author's note, thanks for reading it all!**

**Carlisle's POV**

I heard a knock on the door and looked up from my book. "Come in."

Edward pushed open the door and came to sit on the chair in front of my desk.

"Carlisle?"

"Yes?" I said, closing my book and resting my head on my hands.

"I wanted to talk about Bella," Edward said. His fingers twisted around each other as he fidgeted.

"What about her?"

"Well," Edward said slowly. "I was wondering if you knew why Jasper, Alice and I could sense her through our powers, before I saved her. I mean, we didn't even know she existed when she was in Phoenix."

"Hmmm," I said. "I'm sorry, Edward, but I have as little a clue as you."

Edward sighed. I expect he had been hoping I'd be able to answer all of his questions.

"I think we'd have to go to the Volturi to learn that," I said.

"The _Volturi_?"

"Yes."

"Why them?" Edward asked.

"They are the oldest vampires on this planet. If anyone knew, it would be them."

"But we can't take Bella with us! They wont let a human come into their organisation," Edward said.

"No," I answered. "It would be too dangerous to take Bella, I agree."

"Then what can we do?"

"I suppose… the only way is…" I paused. I didn't know how Edward would react to this.

"Yes?" He pressed.

"To turn Bella into a vampire."

"No!" Edward threw up his arms. "That is one thing I will not do!"

"Why?" 

"I can't turn Bella into a vampire. The world stretches before her. She has her whole life to live- I won't take it away from her," Edward said strongly.

I sighed. "Then we wont ever know."

"I can't change Bella." Edward seemed to be pleading with me.

I stood up and went over to my bookcase. My fingers skimmed over the spines of hundreds of books before I found the one I wanted. "Here," I said. "Read this."

Edward took the book and stared at the page I had opened. His eyes blurred because he was reading so fast.

_The Prophecy of Blood Berries_

_One of the oldest and least known prophecies of the vampires, or the 'cold ones' originates in Transylvania. It is the prophecy of Blood Berries, the last and only link between the human and vampire species. It is said that in the dawn of time, God created vampires and humans to live alongside each other, but the Devil gave the vampires terrible powers that could destroy humankind forever._

_These powers are different from that of the usual legends- they are the ability to move faster than an arrow flies, to be stronger than the largest bear, to be more deadly than the Deadly Nightshade flower, and to be more beautiful than God's own angels._

_The powers that the Devil gave the cold ones caused God great pain and anguish, as he watched his beloved humans die from heaven. He could do nothing to attack back, so he gave the humans one chance to save themselves. It is said that one human female will have the key to a vampire's heart, and the guts to destroy this vampire in the only way possible- to make him love her, then to leave him. To make him beg for death, and to destroy him so fully that he will seek others of his own kind to end his existence._

_This vampire will not be any vampire; he will be the Prince of the Cold Ones, the one with the power to hear any thought that passes through any mind, as they think it. He will also be the only vampire to have a second power, a power that will make itself apparent on his death day. It is the power that will be the downfall of the entire vampire race._

Edward looked up at me after he had finished reading, so many emotions on his face that I couldn't even begin to untangle them.

"Isn't there any more?" he shouted.

"No," I said, "That's all there is. I've been looking for more information for hours, but this is the only book that mentions the prophecy."

"I don't understand," Edward said. "This can't be true!"

"I don't know," I said, "All of the information about our powers is correct. And if we assume God exists, and that he did create us, it is also true that we were created to live alongside each other. You see that example with our family."

"Then who is the 'Prince of the Cold ones'?" Edward asked, "I thought you said vampires didn't have a royal family, but that the Volturi were the closest that vampires got to royalty."

"Yes, that is true. I've never heard of a Prince of Vampires, but it could be a nickname. It doesn't mean he actually has to be a Prince."

"Then who is he?" Edward asked.

I turned away and went back to my desk. I put my head in my hands and rubbed my temples, pausing before answering. "Edward," I said, "I think it's you."

"What?" Edward said, standing up suddenly and dropping the book onto the floor.

"The book says that the Prince will have the power to 'hear any thought that passes through any mind'," I said, "And you have that power."

"But I'm not a Prince!" Edward said. He glowered at me and then sat down again, picking up the book and putting it back into the bookcase. "One of the Volturi… one of the Volturi can read thoughts too!"

"Hmmm?" I said, "Oh yes. But he has limitations to his power. He has to touch the person to read their thoughts, and he then learns every thought that has ever passed through that person's mind. The book says 'the power to hear any thought that passes through any mind, _as they think it_. And it's only you who has that power."

"This can't be about me," Edward said.

"Why?"

"Bella wouldn't do that," Edward said, his voice becoming panicked. "She wouldn't leave me."

"Hmmm," I said, "You haven't known her for long, Edward."

"She wouldn't," Edward said. "She wouldn't!"

"Think about this for a moment, Edward. Most of it fits," I said.

"Most of it?"

"Well if we assume this prophecy is real, and if we say Bella did leave you…" I started. Edward growled loudly, and I raised my hands. "I'm just supposing! I'm not saying she will. If she did leave you, then would you seek others to kill you?"

"Probably…" Edward said. "Yes."

"Then what would your second power be? What can destroy every vampire there is?"

"I don't know," Edward said, frustrated. "Something to do with blood or berries?"

"Hmmm. Probably, seeing as that is what the prophecy is called."

"Who wrote this book? Maybe he or she knows more information about it," Edward said.

I went back to the book and looked at the cover. "It's by someone called 'Victoria

Smith'."

"Victoria Smith? I've never heard of her."

I opened the cover to look at the author description and picture. The picture showed a woman with long, flowing red hair. She looked quite young, in her twenties or thirties. I showed the picture to Edward.

"That's odd," he said.

"What?"

"She has reddy-maroon eyes."

I took the book back and peered at the picture. She did have red eyes. Her mouth was open in a wide smile, which showed glistening white teeth. "She looks like a vampire."

"She does," Edward said, peering over my shoulder. "She also looks evil, somehow."

"I know what you mean," I said. The woman had cat-like features, and very pale skin. The picture showed her whole body, and her stance was feline and almost in a crouch. "She looks wild. Like a vampire who drinks human blood. I can't imagine why she would write a book like this."

"Read the paragraph under the picture."

_Victoria Smith, author of this book, was born in 1953. She married at the age of twenty-five, to one James Smith, and died a year later, in a tragic accident. Her husband was _

_also killed. _

"That sounds suspicious," I said. "She and her husband were both killed in the same

accident. They probably faked their deaths when they became vampires."

"Yeah," Edward said. "That still doesn't explain why she wrote this book though. If we can find her, we could learn a lot from speaking to her."

"How are we going to find out where she lives?" I asked.

"The internet?" Edward suggested.

"You can try that," I said. "And I'll look in my other books for any mention of her or her husband, or this prophecy."

"Don't tell the others about this. Especially not Bella," Edward said.

"Wont Alice have a vision and find out?"

"I will tell her…" Edward said as he walked towards the door. "So she doesn't mention it to anyone else."

**Bella's POV**

I woke up to find myself lying on the sofa, and Edward nowhere in sight. I sat up, hand on my chest. I could hear nothing apart from an owl outside, and the lights were all off. _Where is everyone?_ Worry and panic rose up inside me. Had they all gone and left me

alone?

I peered through the window and imagined I could see ghosts rapping on the oak front door. My breathing quickened. I stood up slowly, eyes straining. All I could see was a strip of moonlight that illuminated a strip of the lawn. There was nothing else, only blackness. The house seemed so much more open now, like I was standing alone in a storm without shelter.

My skin began to crawl, and a shiver ran down my spine. Where was Edward?

I crept forward, towards the kitchen. It was empty. I turned slowly, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I felt like someone was watching me. As I passed the sofa, a massive bang sounded from outside and I screamed. I bolted towards the staircase, and then my legs whacked into something and I was flying through the air. My head hit something solid, and I heard another massive crash. I began to scream again. My face was pressed against something hard, and my body shook with fear.

Suddenly the lights flicked on, and seven vampires were standing at the top of the staircase. Edward flew down the stairs and was at my side in a second.

"What is it?" he said, picking me up and putting his hand on my forehead. "What's the matter?"

The rest of them peered over me with worried expressions, apart from Rosalie, who was snorting back laughter.

I couldn't answer. My chest rose and fell quickly, and slowly the shock left my eyes. I buried my face in his chest.

"Bella? What's wrong?" he asked me.

"There was a massive bang… from outside," I spluttered. "Then I tripped over something, and went flying… then- then… my face hit something hard… and it was all dark."

"Bella," Edward said soothingly. "You're all right now."

"Is she okay?"

I recognised Carlisle's voice.

"I'm fine," I said quietly. I felt Alice take my hand and squeeze it.

"Are you sure, honey?" Esme said. "You must have hit it pretty hard."

"What did she hit?"

"She must have tripped over the footstool and hit the airing stand," Esme said.

"I haven't broken anything, have I?" I said, sitting up worriedly. I looked across at the footstool. It had been knocked over. I saw Emmett turn it over and put it back to normal. Then my gaze travelled to the airing stand, which was a wooden stand to hang clothes on to dry. "Oh no! I am so sorry, Esme!"

The stand had fallen over when I had hit it, and it had smashed back into a door that led out onto the back garden. There was a long scratch on the door and the paint had been ripped off.

"It's all right, dear. You couldn't help it," Esme said.

"I am so sorry Esme!" I said, "I'll pay for it, I promise!"

"Bella, she says it's okay," Edward said. "Don't tie yourself up about it."

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! How could I have been so stupid?" I started to cry.

"Bella, calm down!"

"Honestly, its fine! I'll just repaint it tomorrow!"

I cried harder. I wondered when Esme was going to start beating me, like my mother

would have done if I'd done this to her door.

"Jasper, calm her down," Carlisle said.

I felt a wave of tiredness sweep over me and I went limp against Edward's chest.

"But I don't want to go to sleep…" I moaned weakly, then black washed over my sight and I was in dreamland.

**Edward's POV**

I sat with Bella for five hours. Then I carried her upstairs, and lay her on my sofa. I could hear Rosalie arguing with Jasper downstairs, Alice making fruit salad for Bella's breakfast tomorrow, Emmett trying to shut Rosalie and Jasper up, and Esme and Carlisle in their bedroom. I went over to the computer and switched it on, impatiently waiting for it to start up. I clicked on the Internet and typed in a search for 'Victoria Smith'.

I read through the page quickly, but realized that it was the wrong one. It was about someone else. I tried the second link and was diverted to a page that had nothing to do with authors or vampire legends. I sighed deeply and went to the third website.

This one looked more likely. There was a large picture of the same woman that had been in Carlisle's books, and a bunch of text. My eyes flickered across it quickly, taking in random information: Victoria had had one sister, she had been suspected for murder but no proof had been found, she had never had children. A lot of it seemed to fit my theory that she was a vampire.

I looked to the bottom of the page and noticed a few small sentences in small print. There was a telephone number, which you should ring if you wanted information on Victoria.

I grabbed the phone from downstairs and dialled.

"Hello?" It was a female who answered, and she sounded bored.

"Hello," I answered.

The girl seemed to sound more interested when she replied. "Hi, who're you?"

"I am ringing about Victoria Smith," I said.

"Victoria Smith?" I heard the girl drum her fingers on a desk. "You want some information on her?"

"Yes, please."

"You want to come over here and pick it up?"

"Can't you just tell me now?" I said.

"Hmmm," the girl said. "I don't think I can do that… you see, I have to actually see the person I'm giving the information to."

"Why?" I asked.

The girl paused for several long seconds, and appeared to be thinking quickly. "Just… just- a precaution."

"Can I speak to the manager?" I asked.

The girl chewed loudly on some chewing gum and then answered again in an annoyed voice. "Fine," she said. "Hold please."

I heard a beep and the phone went dead. Then another beep, and another woman

answered.

"Hello?"

"I wanted some information on Victoria Smith, please," I said.

"Information?" the woman turned away from the phone and coughed loudly. The sound was muffled- she obviously had put her hand over the phone so I couldn't hear her speak.

Unfortunately, for her, I could hear what she said next because of my vampire hearing.

She opened a door and I heard the girl from before chewing loudly again.

"He does have a hot voice, I know what you mean!"

The first girl answered, "See if you can get him to come and pick up the information, so we can see what he looks like."

I sighed loudly. "Excuse me?"

The girl coughed loudly. "Yes, I'll give you the information."

"I'll just get a pen. Of course, you wont make me come all the way over to your office to pick it up?" I said in a persuasive voice.

The woman coughed again. She sounded like she was about to choke. "No… no. I'll tell you it now."

"Thank you," I said. The woman gave me an address for Victoria Smith, or where she had lived when she was 'alive'. The woman thought I was some sort of tourist who wanted to see the house where Victoria Smith had once lived. I hung up as quickly as I could.

**Bella's POV**

I woke up to find Edward in the corner of the room, with his head resting on the desk, the computer screen still lit up, and a phone about to drop from his relaxed hand. It looked like he was sleeping. Of course, he couldn't have been.

"Edward?" I whispered.

In the next second, his head snapped up to look at mine and our eyes met.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning?" I said. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"About ten hours," Edward answered. He turned to the computer and switched it off quickly, then snapped it shut.

"What have you been doing all night?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he said. He put the phone down next to the laptop and came and sat next to me. "Just sitting at the desk and thinking."

I sat up. "About what?"

"You."

"And… your verdict is? Insane loony or wronged victim?"

Edward laughed, and the sound filled the room. I hadn't heard him laugh like this since I had met him, and it made him even more beautiful. I watched his face until he stopped, then he took my hands and pressed them against his face like he had last night.

"Hmmm," he said.

"What?"

"You're so warm today," Edward answered, and smiled, exposing his perfect shining teeth.

I didn't answer. What could I say to that?

"Tell me about you," Edward said. "I want to know everything."

"What about me?" I said.

"Your past," Edward said, "Tell me what happened before I met you. And why you were going to… well, you know."

"Commit suicide?" I said plainly and dully.

"Yes," Edward answered.

_Why would he want to know about me? _I found myself wondering. _I am not interesting. My life will be boring to his ears. All I did was cook and clean and sleep and eat. But maybe he finds that fascinating, because he can't do it. _

"Are you sure you want to know? My life isn't exactly your average sit-com," I said.

"I'm sure, Bella," Edward said. He lowered my hands to my lap but still kept them clasped in his.

"My first memory was when I was three. I was at home, and was having dinner in our small kitchen. I accidentally knocked over my juice, and it went over the table and onto the floor. My mother, Renee, started to scream at me, calling me 'marriage wrecker',

'stupid imbecile', and 'big mistake'."

Edward looked like he was about to interrupt, but I silenced him with my hand. If I stopped talking, then I would begin to cry, and wouldn't be able to finish my story.

"You see, I was the reason why her marriage broke up and her husband left her. My father, Charlie, married my mother when they were both very young. They were only about twenty," I explained. "Then when my mother got pregnant with me, Charlie left her for a younger girl. My mother was left to have me, even though she had wanted to have an abortion. The only reason why she didn't have an abortion was because of my grandmother. My grandmother told Renee that if she gave birth to me, then when I was breast-fed and old enough to leave Renee, my grandmother would take me and bring me up herself. She also offered to give Renee a large sum of money in exchange for me."

I looked across at Edward's face. He looked appalled. He was squeezing my hands very tightly, but didn't seem to realize that my hands going white because he was cutting off my circulation with his grip.

"Edward?" I said.

"Yes Bella?" His voice was strained and clipped with anger, but not at me.

"I can't feel my fingers any more."

Edward looked at me in confusion, before realizing and letting go of my hands. "Sorry, Bella."

"It's okay."

"Carry on with your story," Edward said.

"Are you sure you want me to? You don't seem to be taking it very well. It's just making you angry."

Edward got up from the sofa and paced across the room. He looked back at me after a few seconds, and his face was pained.

"I'll be back in a second," he said, and when I nodded, disappeared out the door.

Several crashes from downstairs sounded before Edward appeared back in the doorframe.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Oh nothing."

I got the distinct impression that Edward had been throwing things around downstairs to

alleviate his anger. I let it pass.

Edward sat down beside me and I reached for his hands. He gave them to me, and I slowly uncurled his fists, which had been clenched before.

"Calm now?" I said.

Edward breathed out deeply and relaxed back on the sofa. "Yes."

"Where was I?" I asked.

"You were telling me that your grandmother offered to pay Renee to give birth to you, and to bring you up for several years until she could take care of you."

"Yes," I said. "Yes… well Renee agreed to my grandmother, even though neither of them had been on good speaking terms for years. Renee gave birth to me, and brought me up until the age of two. But the summer before Renee was going to hand me over to my grandmother, my grandmother died."

"No," Edward said.

"Yes," I said. "That's what happened. So Renee had to keep me herself."

"And how did she treat you?" Edward asked.

"Badly," I said. "She made me spend most of the day doing housework and cleaning, while she spent the day with her friends, and the nights gambling and drinking with her latest boyfriend. She had a new one every week, sometimes two at once. My _'mother'_ wasted all the money she got from her job on alcohol, and none of it on the house or me. We lived in a dump."

Edward kissed the back of my hand sadly, and a tingle went down my spine.

"I had to wear the same pair of clothes for weeks," I said.

"You're not still wearing them, are you?" Edward asked.

"Erm," I said, embarrassed. How could I admit to Edward that the pair of clothes I had on now had been the same ones I had worn for the past month? He would think I was disgusting, and probably take everything back that he had said about loving me. He would probably take me back to Phoenix, or even just leave me on the side of a road

somewhere.

"Bella? They are aren't they?"

"Yes," I muttered.

"Why didn't you borrow some of Alice's clothes?" Edward asked me.

"After I had a shower I asked Alice if I could borrow some clothes," I said. "But then

you… attacked… me and I ran upstairs. I didn't have time to get any clothes before I locked myself in your room, so I just put these ones back on again."

"Oh, Bella," Edward said.

"You're not going to leave me, are you?" I whispered.

"No!" Edward said. "How could you think that?"

I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the floor. Edward lifted my chin with a finger, and leant close to me. His hand went onto my hip; the other hand cupped my face. I felt him slide the hand that had been on my hip up my shirt, my skin tingling wherever he touched it. I could feel a trail of coldness where his hand had been. It was the best feeling.

In a quick movement, he whipped my top over my head, muttering, "Get this off."

He dropped my top on the floor and turned back to me. I studied his perfect face- his flawless features. How could someone so gorgeous exist? How was it possible?

"Edward," I muttered.

"Yes?" he answered. His voice sounded hungry.

"How come your eyes aren't black?" I asked, "They normally are when you're this close to me."

Edward moved closer, then swung me onto his lap so my legs were on either side of him, and the tips of our noses touched. He pressed his cold lips against mine, then leant back slowly, and whispered in my ear.

"I'm in control, see?"

I smiled. I felt him run his hands over my back, and his fingers linger on the clips that held my bra together at the back.

He was about to pop them open when a voice sounded from downstairs.

"EDWARD!"

Edward lowered his hands slowly and sighed. He laid his head on my shoulder.

"Edward!" The voice sounded again. It was Alice. "You don't want to be doing that!"

"Don't I?" Edward shouted back.

"You don't!" Alice replied.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because I can see the future!"

Edward swung me off him, onto the sofa, and went over to the door. Alice was standing

outside it, in the corridor, staring at him.

"Keep your nose out," Edward whispered, just loud enough for me to hear, and then snapped the door shut on her. I could hear Alice growl from the corridor, but Edward ignored her. He came back to me.

I looked at the door and saw the bolt on it. Edward had locked us in…

Then a pattering of feet told me that Alice had gone back down the stairs and we were alone.

"Now," Edward muttered. His eyes were scorching. "Where were we?"

"I think," I replied, taking his hands and placing them on my back, "We were here."

"Aha," Edward said. He popped my bra open and took it off. "I think you're right."

I pulled his shirt over his head, and put it on top of mine, on the floor.

I lifted my arms to run them through his hair and suddenly an odd feeling swept through me. I had never felt it before.

**Edward's POV**

"Edward?" Bella said. "Are you sure you have enough restraint for this?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "Do you want to stop?"

My breath was cold against her neck. I placed a line of kisses from the corner of her mouth down her neck, and finally stopped with my lips over her heart. I could feel it thudding beneath my lips, and could hear the blood being pumped around her body.

My restraint shook, as her smell swept over me again. It was stronger each time, worse and worse, more beautiful, more appealing. More deadly for her. Maybe it would be better if she wanted to stop, if she said yes.

"No," Bella whispered so quietly I wondered if she had even spoken.

I felt her put her hand flat on my knee, and run it up my thigh. My body began to tingle. I moaned, and Bella giggled.

"Like that?" she muttered.

"You can't imagine how that feels," I said.

"Do you want them off?" Bella asked.

I wondered what she meant for a few seconds. Her face told me nothing- she looked slightly shy, probably wondering if what we were doing was too daring, too foolish.

"What?" I answered.

"Your pants? Do you want them off?" she said.

I nodded and put her hands on my belt. She undid it, and was about to pull my pants off when another voice shouted, this time from down the corridor.

"Edward!"

"What is it now?" I whispered angrily. I raised my voice and tried to make it sound more

civil. "Yes Carlisle?"

"I've found something!" he shouted back.

I closed my eyes slowly, and then opened them. _What has he found? Is it about the Prophecy of the Blood Berries? If it is, I have to go. It's too important to miss, even if my whole being is screaming at me to ignore him and carry on with what I'm doing. _

"Bella?" I said.

"Yes?" Her face looked confused.

"I'm sorry," I said. I got up and redid my belt. "I have to go and see Carlisle. It's important."

Bella looked even more confused, as well as disappointed and maybe a little hurt.

I walked towards the door, but stopped when she called my name.

"You've forgotten your shirt," Bella said, and chucked it to me. I pulled it on quickly, forced a smile onto my face, and left her alone in my room.

**Review, please! Tell me what you think! And sorry for the interruptions in Bella and Edward's love scene, but I didn't think it was very appropriate or relevant to my story to take the … 'making out session' any 'further'!**

**CullenLove x**


	7. A Vision In The Wrong Place

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!

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Carlisle's POV

When Edward came into my study, he looked flustered. The buttons of his shirt were done up wrong, so that one button wasn't fastened and all of the rest were in the wrong buttonholes. He didn't seem to have realized. It looked like he had just flung his shirt on a few seconds ago.

"What did you find, Carlisle?" he asked. His voice sounded urgent.

"I found out where Victoria Smith lives," I said.

He sighed. "So did I."

"Were you hoping it was something more interesting?" I asked him. He looked

disappointed.

"Well… yes."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Edward. I did my best," I grinned.

He laughed. "No, no. I'm sorry I'm being so rude today. I'm in a bit of a weird mood."

"Is it Bella?" I queried.

He looked like he was wondering what to say. He nodded once. "Yes. It is Bella…"

"There isn't anything wrong, is there?" I asked. _I hope Bella isn't disappointing his hopes. Edward deserves the best. He's a good man. _

"No," Edward said. "There's nothing wrong. Everything's right, that's the problem."

"The problem?"

"Well… with Bella and I… we just seem to be made for each other. I think I love her," Edward said. He stared intently at me, probably reading my mind.

"Isn't that a bit soon, Edward? You haven't known her for long."

"I know what I'm doing," Edward said.

"Then I support you," I said.

Edward smiled. "Thanks Carlisle."

"No problem," I said. "Back to Victoria Smith now?"

"Yes," Edward said.

I took a piece of paper from my desk, which my flowing handwriting was scrawled across. It looked like calligraphy a monk would do, for a handwritten book. I passed it to Edward.

"Victoria's address," I explained.

"Yes," Edward said, "I got the same one too. What are we going to do with the information?"

"I think we should go and see her, obviously," I said.

"When?"

"As soon as possible," I said.

"Should we go alone?" Edward asked.

"I don't know," I said. "This seems a bit dangerous for just the two of us… we don't know anything about Victoria. She could be the leader of a pack of vampires, and even though we just want to ask some questions, she could take it the wrong way and attack."

"Should Alice come too?" Edward said.

"Have you told her about the Prophecy yet? She will have a vision soon about us leaving, because we've decided. You should tell her now, before she finds out and tells the others or worries," I said.

"I'll go and tell her now," Edward said.

"We will leave in the morning," I said. "Make sure you are ready."

Edward's POV

Alice was downstairs, sitting on the sofa. She was staring blankly at the television, with an annoyed scowl on her face. Jasper was sat next to her, his long arm around her shoulders. He was running a finger up and down her arm, but Alice seemed to be ignoring him. I cleared my throat.

Alice's eyes flicked away from the TV and met mine. Her scowl deepened.

"What do you want?" she said sharply.

"Could I have a minute?" I asked Jasper. He stood up slowly, and nodded. As he passed me, he muttered something that sounded like 'good luck with her'. The door closed behind him as he left us alone.

I turned to Alice, and sat down on the floor, my legs crossed. She surprised me by getting up from the sofa and sitting opposite me, her arms clasped around her small legs. She fixed her gaze on me.

"Alice," I said.

She inclined her head slightly, as if nodding. I assumed this meant that she was listening.

"I'm sorry about ignoring you," I said.

She didn't answer.

"Carlisle interrupted us anyway. He had something to tell me. But I want to know, what would have happened if Bella and I had carried on?"

Alice frowned again. "Is that what you came down to ask me?"

I thought for a minute. "No," I answered truthfully.

"What is it then?" she said, hostility still apparent in her words. I could hear a small growl in the back of her throat, though it was obvious that she was trying not to be more annoyed with me. I admired her. I also wondered what she had seen in her vision. But now was not the time to ask.

"I wanted to say… all through my life you've been supportive of me. I don't deserve you. When have I ever given you something back?" I said, as I fiddled with a thread coming loose from the bottom of my jeans.

"Edward…" Alice said. She shuffled across the floor so she was sitting beside me. "You don't have to give me anything back. I love you."

I turned to look at her. Well, to stare.

Alice shook herself. "Obviously, not the same way as I love Jasper. I love you as a brother. You comfort me and you don't even realize it. Your presence is enough to calm me, though that could just be Jasper using his power…" she giggled. "You're my brother. Though we don't share the same blood…" she laughed again, "Though we don't share _any _blood, you're still my brother."

I found myself laughing softly along with her.

"Yes," I agreed. I ruffled Alice's hair, and was rewarded when she snarled, her lips pulled back over her shining sharp teeth. Just the reaction I'd wanted. "Little Alice," I muttered, and she heard, and the snarl grew louder and angrier. Her eyes were cold. She regarded me with her sharp gaze, eyes slightly narrowed.

Alice uncurled her hands from around her legs and used them to push herself off the floor. She stayed in a crouch, staring down from a few centimetres above me.

"Little Edward," she said, her words dripping with acid, and punched me.

I recoiled immediately, and she broke out into a fit of laughter.

"You were scared of me!" she said with triumph. "Edward, you were!"

"Don't be stupid," I said quickly. "I wasn't scared of you."

Alice just smiled knowingly, and laughed harder.

I growled menacingly, much like she had done a few seconds earlier.

"Okay, okay. Calm down Edward," Alice said. She held her arms up, palms towards me. Suddenly her skin began to sparkle, as a bar of sunlight fell across the room from the open window. I looked up, towards the window, and noticed a shadow on the lawn.

"Someone is outside!" Alice said.

I followed her gaze, and sure enough, a figure was striding up the lawn towards the door. It was a man, his face framed by a mass of messy black hair. He was wearing a brown suit, with a tasteless bright purple tie. On his head was a moss green hat, and his shoes were way too big and coming unstitched at the seams.

"Who's he?" Alice muttered. We moved quickly away from the window, so the light couldn't fall across our skin. This man was a human; I could smell him as he knocked on our front door. He stank.

"I don't know," I said.

_I wonder if anyone is home, _the man thought.

"What is he thinking?" Alice asked.

"He is wondering if anyone is at home," I said.

The man knocked on the door again. I strode over to the door and flung it open, careful to stay in the shadow cast by the balcony above the porch. It was unusual for it to be sunny in Forks, but today it was. That's why everybody was inside.

"Good morning," the man said.

"It's afternoon, actually," I said.

_I wonder if they will agree…_ the man thought.

"What do you want?" Alice said, coming to stand behind me. She peered around my shoulder. I leaned against the doorframe.

_Wow, _the man thought, _that girl is hot! I wonder… _

"Alice," I said. "Why don't you get your _boyfriend _to come here?"

Alice looked at me, puzzled. "You mean Jasper?"

I spoke back to her, speaking too fast for this human to hear. "This guy thinks you're hot. I don't know what he's here for."

"What are you here for?" Alice asked the man sharply.

"I wanted to know if you'd like to join my agency," the man said. I noticed he held a camera in his hands, partly hidden by his massive stomach.

"Agency?" I said.

"_Modelling _agency."

"Where did you get the idea that we would like to join your agency?" I said, "Because if you think we'd be interested, you're sorely mistaken."

I slammed the door shut in the man's face.

Alice turned to me. "I don't like this," she said.

"Where did he get our address from?" I said.

"I don't know," Alice said.

_Well that was a bit of a letdown. I bet if I told them how much they would get paid to model, then they would change their minds. I'll knock again and tell them. _

There came another knock at the door.

I pulled the door open angrily. "What do you want now?"

The man pulled his camera out from behind his back and snapped a few pictures. I snatched the camera off him.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I said. I was about to smash the camera against the wall when he stopped me.

"Wait! Wait until the picture develops!"

"Why?" I said suspiciously.

"I want you to join my agency," the man said.

The camera was an old-fashioned one, where the picture comes out from a slot in the camera, already printed on paper. There was a little whirr and a picture came out. I snatched it up.

It was in colour. Alice was standing behind me, with one hand on my shoulder. She had a bemused look on her face, her mouth curved up in a small smile. I was standing in front of her, with an annoyed look on my face and a crease between my brows.

"Just look at the colours!" the man said enthusiastically, peering at the photo. Alice snapped it out of my hands, and then studied it for a few seconds, before breaking out in laughter.

"What?" I said.

"-Just look how great her hair looks! And how plump her lips are-"

"What is it?" I said loudly. Alice sniggered, and the man carried on with his ravings.

"Such great fashion-sense! Such beauty-"

"Look at your face!" Alice said. "I'm keeping this photo!"

She darted away into the house, and I couldn't follow, because the stupid man was still standing on the doorstep.

"We wont join your agency," I said. "And I'm keeping this." I shook the camera in front of his face.

"But-" the man started.

I slammed the door in his face.

Alice's POV

I ran upstairs, grinning as I noticed Edward wasn't following. I folded the photo in half and tucked it between Carlisle's big wooden cross and the smooth paintwork of the wall. Carlisle had had that cross for ages, and it was always hung on the wall, in every house we lived in. I tilted my head and nodded, satisfied, as I realized you couldn't see the photo from any angle. It was wedged between the cross and the wall, and wouldn't fall out.

A few seconds later I heard the slam of a door and Edward sighing exasperatedly from downstairs. I skipped along the hallway to Edward's room, my mind filling up with random images and words, so Edward wouldn't be able to lift the hiding place of the photo from my mind.

I pushed his bedroom door open with the palm of my hand, and grinned cheekily as I saw Bella sitting on his sofa.

"Hello," I said.

Bella looked up, and smiled shyly.

"Do you want to come shopping?" I said. She looked like she needed new clothes.

"Yes, all right," Bella said.

She didn't know all the shopping would be for her.

"Meet me downstairs in two minutes," I said, and left the room.

Jasper was in my room, sitting on the bed. He was reading a book, but he put it down as I came into the room. I read the title on the cover.

"The Da Vinci Code?" I said.

"Yeah," Jasper said. He got up from the bed and kissed me softly, his lips brushing my cheekbones.

"I'm going shopping," I said.

"With who?" Jasper breathed. He was used to me saying this particular thing. I went shopping often.

"Bella," I said.

Jasper passed me my purse from the bedside table. My credit cards were bulging out of the purse.

"You'll have to get a new purse soon, Alice," Jasper said.

I nodded, and took the purse, slipping it into a handbag I grabbed from the back of a chair. Jasper handed me my jacket, and helped me put it on.

"Have a good time," he said.

I danced over to the bedroom door and blew Jasper a kiss.

"I will," I said, and closed the door.

Bella was standing by the door when I came downstairs, her fingers laced with Edward's.

"Edward is coming?" I said.

Bella nodded. "Is that all right?"

"Sure," I said. I grabbed my car keys from the hook by the door and went out onto the porch. "Decided you like shopping now?" I asked Edward.

He smiled. "No."

"Then why are you coming?" I said, opening the car and getting into the driver's seat.

Edward closed the front door behind him, and then got into the back of the car, helping Bella in beside him.

"Bella wanted me to come," he said.

"Has that man gone?" I asked. "The one that was here before?"

"Yeah," Edward said.

I looked at him in the rear-view mirror as I reversed the car back out of the drive. I noticed he had the man's camera in his hands.

"What have you got that for?" I said.

"I kept it," Edward said. "He won't come calling here again."

I saw Bella looking out of the window as we got onto the motorway. Her hands were clasped in her lap. She looked a bit uncomfortable.

"What is it?" I said.

"Nothing," Bella said.

I wondered if she felt a bit uneasy, because my car was the sort of car you might call 'expensive'. But hey. I like Porsches.

"Where are we going?" Edward said.

"Shopping," I answered.

"I knew that. I meant where," Edward said.

"Just in Forks," I said.

Edward didn't answer.

I stepped on the accelerator, overtaking a car going at forty. _Humans drove so slowly!_

I was just adjusting my sunglasses' position on my nose when a wave of blackness crossed over my eyes, and I lost sight of the road. I could hear a screech of brakes, and then my body went blank, and I was having a vision.

_She peered around the doorway, her eyes glinting in the dusk that hung over the town. The pupils were red, silted and cat-like. A smile cut open her face like knife does butter, and in the half-light, she looked like she was moulded from wax. Her skin had an unhealthy paleness to it, but there was power in her grace, amusement in her jaw line, and evil in every inch of her manic smile. _

_She turned her head slightly to the left, nostrils flaring. She breathed deeply, the air rattling inside her body like maracas. _

"_The time is coming," she whispered. _

Edward's POV

I leant back against the headrest, looking lazily ahead at the road through the windscreen.

I felt Bella squeeze my hand, and stroked my thumb lightly across her knuckles. Once again, I breathed in her scent deeply.

_I should go hunting soon, _I thought, _it's not wise to leave it too long. _

"Where are we going?" I asked Alice, leaning forward.

"Shopping," she said.

I sighed deeply. "I knew that. But where?"

"Just in Forks," she said, turning the wheel slightly to get back into the right lane as we overtook a car.

I relaxed back against the seat again.

Suddenly there was a screech of brakes, and Alice slumped forward against the steering wheel. A loud honking noise shattered the stillness, as the car's horn reacted to the pressure of Alice's body on the wheel.

Bella screamed, and the car swerved.

"ALICE!" I shouted, jumping out of my seat. I wasn't wearing the seatbelt- I didn't need to- so I scrambled quickly into the front seat. Bella continued to scream, gripping the car door in terror. The car began to spin across the road, other cars honking and slamming on their brakes.

I grabbed Alice under the arms and hauled her out of the seat, shoving her into the backseat next to Bella. Her eyes were closed, and she was shuddering violently. I didn't have time to think as I saw a van racing towards us, as the car careened across the road. The crash barrier was coming closer at an alarming rate. I needed to stop the car now, or Bella would die.

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Sorry it took a long time to post, because I've been absolutely _crushed under a landslide of homework, _and I'm not doing tonight's homework just to send you this!  
Please review. I hurt my knee dancing and it's all knacked up, and it would make me feel better if you reviewed!

CullenLove


	8. Missing

**Thanks again to my lovely reviewers! You rock! You make my life worthwhile! Well… maybe not, but you sure do make it a hell of a lot happier!**

**I would like to give a big shout out to Bella, Edward and the rest of the Cullens, for letting me rule their lives and write their story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, you know?**

**Edward's POV**

_I didn't have time to think as I saw a van racing towards us, as the car careened across the road. The crash barrier was coming closer at an alarming rate. I needed to stop the car now, or Bella would die. _

I jumped into the driving seat, and stamped my feet on the brakes as hard as I could. I turned the wheel madly, and the car fishtailed across the road and slammed into the crash barrier between this lane and the next. The car shuddered to a stop.

I looked back, and saw all the cars on the road were stopping, the traffic jamming up. Men were beginning to jump out of their cars.

The windscreen wasn't broken, and as we hadn't gone head-on into the barrier, the airbags hadn't blown up.

"Bella?" I said. I looked at her. She looked shaken. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"You're not hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

I turned back forward and noticed men and women racing towards the car. I hastily lay Alice across Bella's lap, to look like she was sleeping. I didn't want them thinking she was unconscious.

The first person to reach the car was a woman. She pulled open my car door.

"Are you okay?" she said urgently.

"Yes," I said. "I'm fine."

She looked into the back seat and saw Bella and Alice.

"What about them?" she said.

"I'm okay," Bella muttered, managing a weak smile.

"Alice is asleep," I said.

"Asleep?" the woman said. A crowd of people were beginning to appear behind her.

"Yes," I said. I locked gazes with her and looked up from under my lashes at her. "She is asleep," I whispered, my voice low. "So sssh."

The woman went red. "O-okay. Then… then- I'll just be going."

She walked around to the back of the car and began to jog back to her jeep, rather quickly.

It took a further ten minutes for the rest of the people to establish we were okay, and then disperse. I checked the car and found a dint in it. Alice wouldn't be too happy, when she woke up.

I got back into the car and began to drive, anxious to get away before police arrived. I kept checking in the mirror to check Bella was okay.

Alice's POV

When I opened my eyes, I could see the floor of the car and a pair of legs. I sat up, and realized I had been laid across Bella's lap. I was strangely in the back seat now, and looked forward to see Edward in the front seat. Just at that second, he looked in the mirror.

"Alice!" he said.

"Yes?" I whispered, moving away from Bella to lay my head against the back of my seat.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I said. "What happened?"

"You were driving… and then you collapsed," Edward said. "We nearly crashed! Did you have a vision?"

I realized we were in the parking lot of a small shop and heard the engine fade away as Edward parked.

"Yes," I said. I opened my car door and scooted around to the other side. Edward got there before me, and opened Bella's door. She blushed and took his extended hand as she stepped out of the car.

"I need to talk to you," I said quietly, so only Edward could hear. He inclined his head slightly, the movement so small that Bella wouldn't realize.

"Bella? Could you go and start shopping please? Get whatever you need. Alice and I need to check the car for dints or scrapes," Edward explained.

Bella nodded and disappeared into the shop.

Edward leant against the car door. "What is it?"

"There is something you haven't told me, Edward. It's about another woman."

Edward surprised me by gasping. "What?"

I stared at him for a few seconds, before breaking out into laughter. Edward thought I was accusing him of going off with another woman, other than Bella!

"What?" he said.

"Oh, Edward. You are stupid," I said. "I meant a woman, a woman with red hair. She was in my vision. Who is she?"

A look of dawning realization came over Edward's face. "Victoria."

"Who?" I said.

Edward explained his plans of going to see this Victoria, an author, with Carlisle.

"Why do you want to see her? Admire her work or something?" I said.

"She wrote a book which had a prophecy in it," Edward answered.

"So?"

"A prophecy that Carlisle thinks is about Bella and I."

"Which is?"

Edward recited it.

"Are you sure it's about you?" I said. I didn't even bother to joke about the fact that Edward was assuming he was a Prince by assuming this prophecy was true. Emmett would have joked. The look on Edward's face told me not to.

"Carlisle is. I think we should check it out anyway, just in case. I don't see why this woman would have made it up."

"Hmmm," I answered. "If you go, then I'm coming."

Edward didn't complain. He knew that if he did, it would be pointless. I was coming, and he couldn't stop me, though he didn't seem to want to. He breathed out deeply. "That's good… But you didn't tell me what your vision was about."

"It was Victoria, standing in a doorway. In a town," I said.

"Describe the town," Edward pressed.   
"There was a church spire… and lots of buildings. Lot of buildings made of stone. And Victoria was standing in the doorway of a big house, just looking out over the city. And she was smelling the air."

"Did she say anything?" Edward said.

"She just smiled, really evilly. It was sinister… And then she said, 'The time is coming.'"

"Just that?"

"Yes. And then she laughed."

Edward's eyebrows creased in thought.

"I don't think you should go," I said.

"Why not?"

"This woman looked like she knew we were coming. She was a vampire, Edward. She could be dangerous. We know nothing about her!"

"I have to go," Edward said, "You don't, but I do."

"I'm coming if you are," I said. "I just think we should stay on our guard."

Edward nodded. "Thanks Alice."

"We should go to Bella," I said. "We've left her too long."

Edward sniggered at Bella's clumsiness, but not in a nasty way. He loped towards the door of the shop, and I followed.

Edward's POV

Alice's warning rang in my head. _She could be dangerous, Edward. We know nothing about her… I think we should stay on our guard. _

I almost decided against us going, but stopped myself. I needed to know.

We found Bella in the vegetable isle, her arms laden with apples, packed sandwiches and bottled water. I kissed her on the cheek and relieved her of most of her shopping.

"Why the sandwiches?" Alice asked. "We could have made them at home, you know."

"I figured we were going away," Bella said.

My eyes snapped to hers. "What?" I whispered. "What gave you that idea?"

"I saw Carlisle packing," Bella said. "Where are we going?"

_What can we do, Edward? _Alice thought, knowing I was reading her thoughts; _we will have to bring her with us. _

"No!" I said out loud. Bella looked at me oddly, but I didn't explain.

_Edward, she knows now. What did you expect? We couldn't just leave her at home. She wants to come; she wants to be with you. _

"I don't like it," I said.

_It's not a matter of what you like or don't Edward. She would be safer with us. _

"I still don't like it."

Bella stared. I guess she thought I had finally cracked and gone crazy, and was talking to myself.

_We could protect her, us three. Carlisle, you and I. _

"I guess I don't have any choice," I said.

"You don't," Alice added out loud.

"Anyone want to tell me what that was about?" Bella said.

"I was talking to Alice," I said.

"Right," Bella said. She picked up a pack of tomatoes and added them to my arms. I raised an eyebrow. "What? I like tomatoes," she said, and turned away with a grin.

Alice and I trailed after her as she got the rest of her shopping, and went to the counter. She took out her purse, about to pay, but I plucked it from her hands.

"No chance," I said, and slapped some dollar bills (A/N: YES! I remembered to write dollars! Whoop, whoop!) from my wallet onto the counter.

The man put the shopping into a bag and thrust it towards Bella.

_I hate this job, _the man thought, _it's so boring! What happened to becoming an astronaut?_

I snorted and took the bag out of Bella's hands. She resisted, but I was much stronger.

Alice led us out to the car, and dumped the bag in the boot.

"Come on," she said, "You're getting some new clothes."

"No," Bella whined. "I can't let you pay for anything else!"

"You don't have a choice," I said, as Alice tugged Bella gently towards a clothes shop.

I wandered through the shop, bored, as Alice forced Bella into a multitude of different outfits, ranging in colour and style. Finally, they emerged from the changing rooms.

I sucked in a breath when I saw Bella. She was wearing chocolate brown cords, with a tight fitting beige tank top, which had a gold star in the centre of it. She had a pair of fluffy boots on, and her hair was tied back with a brown ribbon. She looked amazing.

"Da da!" Alice said brightly.

Bella smiled. "What do you think?"

I stood up and went over to her. I tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered. "You look beautiful."

Alice tugged Bella away before she could reply, shouting, "Next outfit!"

Bella looked back with a pained expression on her face, but noticing the blush creeping up her cheeks, I just smiled.

They came back out of the changing rooms less than a minute later. This time Bella was wearing a short blue dress. She had a dark blue handbag on her arm. She twirled around in front of me. I couldn't believe it, but she looked even better than before.

"And finally," Alice said, and took Bella back behind the curtain again. I could hear a muffled moan and the rustling of clothes, before Alice whipped back the curtain. My breath caught in my throat.

Bella was wearing a simple pair of dark denim jeans, with a gold top. She had a belt across her small waist, and a pair of pumps on her feet. She was wearing quite casual clothes, but she looked amazing.

I had to look away, because my eyes were beginning to hurt. I put my head on my lap and tried to breathe in and out, but her smell was filling me up.

All it would take was one word, one word and she would follow. Then when we were alone, just one bite. Then her scent would be everywhere, filling me up, sedating my thirst. And how good she would taste. How _unbelievable. _

"Alice," I moaned.

"Edward?" Bella said. She seemed confused.

"I need to get out of here," I said. I stood up, my hand over my eyes. I couldn't even go close enough to Bella to even give her a kiss. I fled out of the shop, muttering, "I need to hunt," to Alice.

That had been so close.

Bella's POV

I looked sideways at Alice. I knew my expression looked hurt, but I couldn't turn my face back to normal.

"What did I do?"

"Nothing," Alice said. "It was Edward's fault. He shouldn't leave it so long to hunt."

"When will he be back?" I said worriedly. I felt uneasy when Edward was away for a long time.

"I'll ring him," Alice said. She took out her phone and speed dialled Edward. He picked up after the first ring.

"Yes?" I could hear him say quietly.

I scooted nearer to Alice to hear more clearly.

"What was that about?" Alice said.

"I don't know," Edward hummed quietly. "I just had to get away. It was my fault. It was stupid. I haven't hunted for a while."

"You overestimate your self control," Alice said.

"Yes," Edward agreed. "But I wont do it again. I forget the effect Bella has on me."

I smiled at this.

"Can I speak to Bella?" Edward asked.

My smile widened as I took the phone. I held it close to my ear with both hands. I wanted to hear his voice.

"Bella?" he asked. His voice was soft and apologetic.

"Yes?" I whispered. My voice was nothing compared to his. I sounded raspy against his velvet.

"I'm sorry. I really am."

"It's okay."

"I'll be back for tomorrow morning," Edward said. "Take care of yourself until then. Don't do anything stupid."

"I wont."

"Alice will look after you. Have a good time."

"And you," I said.

Edward laughed. I closed my eyes to hear him better.

He paused, and then spoke. "I love you, Bella."

I sighed and put one hand over my heart. It was thudding away loudly in my chest. "You can't hear my heart, can you?"

"No," Edward said. "Not over the phone. Why?"

"Because it's so loud it feels as if it's going to burst out of my chest," I said.

Edward laughed again, and this time Alice joined in.

"Be safe," Edward whispered.

"I will be," I said.

He hung up.

I clutched the phone to my chest for a few seconds.

"Can I have it back?" Alice laughed. "Or are you keeping it?"

"Sorry," I said and passed it back. Alice laughed harder.

The shop attendant turned towards us. "Are you going to buy those clothes or just stay in here forever?"

"Forever is fine by me," Alice said. "But not so fine for Bella."

"What?" the shop attendant said.

"Yes, yes," Alice said. "Of course we're going to buy them." She danced over to the counter and paid. She passed the bag to me and I felt my cheeks heating up.

"I feel so bad," I said.

"Why?" Alice asked, "Don't you like them?"

"I love them!" I said.

"Then don't you like being bought things?" Alice said. She held the shop door open for me and was in front of me before I had even stepped completely through the door.

"I can't give you anything back," I said. "I don't feel balanced."

"Balanced?" Alice giggled.

"Don't make fun of me. I'm being serious."

Alice took me by the shoulders. "You are giving me something back, Bella. Whenever I see you wearing nice clothes, it makes me happy."

"Why?"

Alice laughed. "I like to know that you wont tarnish my fashion reputation in Forks!"

I blanched.

"It was a joke, Bella!" she said, shaking me softly. Then she turned to look at the car park. "Oh, look! Edward has left the car."

I didn't reply.

"Get in," Alice said, swinging herself into the car seat.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" I said worriedly.

"Bella," Alice moaned. "So little confidence!"

I got in.

"Seat belts," Alice chimed.

I strapped myself in, and noticed that she didn't. I guess there was no point.

Alice sighed and leant back against the seat. "Give me a second. I think I'm getting a vision."

I nodded, though she already had her eyes closed.

"Edward is running east, and now he is changing direction to north. He is running as fast as he can, anxious to get back home as soon as possible… He is skirting several towns, and finally finds himself in the middle of nowhere, in the countryside," Alice chanted. She then smiled and opened her eyes. "Edward is fine, so don't worry."

A weight lifted itself off my chest. Alice started the car.

As we drove along the road, I hummed a tune quietly under my breath. After a few seconds, Alice began to sing along to the tune I had been humming.

"_There's nothing you can know that isn't known._

_Nothing you can see that isn't shown._

_Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be,_

_It's easy."_

Her high soprano voice filled the car and I could feel my spirits lifting. I was happier than I had been in weeks; just knowing that Edward _loved me. _He had told me so himself. Throwing caution to the wind, I began to join Alice in singing, though I knew my voice wasn't very good.

"_All you need is love, all you need is love,_

_All you need is love, love, love is all you need."_

I provided the background 'da, da, da, da, da, da's', and Alice giggled. We sang louder and louder, and Alice opened all the windows so the rushing wind picked up our voices and amplified them. I imagined that Edward could hear me now- see how happy I was, how happy he had made me.

"_All you need is love (all together now),_

_All you need is love (everybody),_

_All you need is love, love, love is all you need."_

"There you go Bella," Alice said when we had finished, "You have a nice voice."

"I don't," I said. "I never went to singing lessons, my mother wouldn't let me."

"That doesn't mean you can't sing, Bella."

"I know," I said, looking forward through the windscreen. I imagined I could see Edward's Volvo ahead of us, on the road. I laughed off my imaginings. Edward was hunting- miles away. But he would be back soon. I would just have to try not to fall apart until he came back!

"Alice?" I asked.

"Yes?" she said, turning to look at me and ignoring the road. Her golden eyes were questioning.  
"Why wont Edward turn me into a vampire?"

"Bella…" Alice said. "Edward cares so much for you."

"What has that got to do with it?" I interrupted.

"You don't know how much it hurts, to be changed."

"Is that it? Is that why he refuses? Just because of the pain?"

"Yes, and no."

"Then what _is _it?" I asked. I paused and tangled my fingers with each other nervously. "Doesn't he love me enough?"

"BELLA!" Alice said, swerving the car.

"Alice! Watch the road!" I shouted.

"That is absolutely _insane,_" Alice said as she manoeuvred the car back into the lane it was supposed to be in, "Edward loves you so much he would die for you. Risk _everything _for you."

"I want to be like you," I said. "I want to be a vampire."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be older than Edward," I said.

"When is your birthday, Bella?" Alice asked.

"September the thirteenth," I answered.  
"And what is it now?" Alice said, "February?"

"Yes," I answered.

"And how old are you?"

"Seventeen," I answered.

"Then there is more than half a year before you are eighteen," Alice said, "Edward might have changed you before your birthday."

I brightened up at this prospect, not noticing the look on Alice's face that would have told me she doubted Edward would change me.

"What are we going to do tonight?" I said. "Pack for wherever we are going?"

"We are going to visit an author," Alice said, "Called Victoria Smith."

"Is Edward a fan of her books, or something?" I said.

"You could say that," Alice said, smiling at some hidden joke. "Though I wouldn't say he liked what he read."

"What are you talking about?" I said. Alice didn't answer.

We were halfway home now. Alice was driving unusually slowly, probably just in case she had another vision. I thanked her silently. It scared me when they all drove fast with me in the car. If they crashed, it wouldn't hurt them, but it would sure hurt me.

I looked out the window. "Alice?" I said.

"Yes?"

"Can we stop at a drugstore?" I said.

"What for?" she asked.

Of course, she wouldn't realize what I was saying. She never had the time of the month, and couldn't remember being human. I hoped I wouldn't have to spell it out for her.

"You know, to get some…" I blushed, "_Girl things_."

"Oh, yes!" Alice said with enthusiasm. I wondered why she said it like that. "I sometimes forget! Oh, how exciting!"

"_Exciting?!_" I said.

"Yes!" she said. "It must be fun to be a human!"

"Believe me, it isn't," I said.

Alice stepped on the gas and suddenly swerved, off the road and into a car park. She shot out of the car, and moved so fast around to my side that I only saw a black blur.

"Thanks," I muttered as I got out. Alice closed the door behind me, locked the car, and practically danced across the parking lot towards the shop. I followed her grudgingly.

The man in the shop smiled at us brightly as we came in. Alice grinned back, her eyes shining. She skipped down several isles, pulling me behind her by the hand.

"Do we have to go so fast?" I moaned.

"Bella," Alice reprimanded me. She didn't say anything else.

Suddenly, she started grabbing things off shelves.

"What is all that for?" I said, looking at the piles of crisps, chocolate, granola bars, and various other things that Alice had in her arms.

"Emmett," she answered, "And you."

"Emmett?"

"Yes," Alice said with an excited giggle.

"Why? You don't eat human food!"

"Yes, but I can dare Emmett to," Alice said.

"What?"  
"That's what we can do tonight," Alice said.

"Oh no," I said.

"Oh yes!" Alice said. She passed me some money. "Get what you need, and meet me in the car!"

I trudged down some isles until I found the right section. I grabbed some stuff, and then went to the till. The man looked at me funny.

_Hasn't he seen a girl before? _I thought.

The man seemed to be looking me up and down. His eyes paused on my face.

"What?" I said. I passed the money to him and he put my stuff in a bag slowly.

"Are you…" the man said as he gave me the bag. "Okay?"

"Yes," I snapped, "Though it has nothing to do with you."

"You look like someone…" the man said, peering at me over his glasses.

"'Someone'?"

"Someone I've seen before," the man said. His face was creased up with concentration. And that was when I saw it.

The poster. Behind his desk, taped on the wall. It was a picture, a picture of _me. _And it said 'MISSING' in big red letters over my head.

"Shit!" I whispered. I grabbed the bag, turned and ran out of the store. The door slammed behind me and I ran across the car park, my shoes slapping against the concrete. I yanked open the door of the car, threw the bag in the back, and shouted, "Drive!"

"What is it?" Alice said. She started the engine, and stamped on the accelerator. The wheels span and squeaked against the ground as we fled out of the car park. I could smell burning rubber as we zoomed down the road, at more than one hundred miles per hour. I began to fell sick, and leant my head against my knees.

"Bella!" Alice's sharp voice cut through my sickness. "What is it?"

"I s-saw a poster," I said, "A poster of m-me!"

"Calm down, Bella!" Alice said, "And tell me what happened!"

"I was in the store… and I was paying," I said. My voice sounded disjointed and stuttered. "Then the m-man said he thought he recognised me." I paused to sob and wipe my nose with my sleeve. "And there was this big poster, right behind his head. It was a picture of me, and it said missing!"

I paused to take a shaky breath, and felt bile rise up in my throat. "Stop the car, Alice! I think I'm going to be sick!"

Alice swung over onto the side of the road and killed the engine. She pinched the bridge of her nose, something Edward did when he was stressed, and sighed.

"So there was a poster of you," Alice said. "Your mother must have alerted the police."

"What are we going to do?" I whined. I opened the car door and staggered out. I almost fell over onto the grass verge, but Alice caught me in her small arms and set me down on the grass. She swept my hair back and tied it into a ponytail with the bobble I always kept around my wrist. She put one hand on my forehead. Her hand was freezing against my hot skin, and it cooled some of the heat pulsing through my cheeks and forehead.

"Bella, Bella," Alice soothed me as I put my head between my legs. "You're going to be alright," she said.

I jammed my eyes shut. _My mother can't find me. Not now, please not now! _

I had just escaped from Renee. I couldn't go back.

"Alice!" I said. "I don't want to be found!"

"You wont be," Alice said. Her voice was calm and soothed my nerves.

"I want Edward," I moaned as a wave of dizziness swept over me. I was aware that I might sound childish saying that, but I didn't care. All the happiness that singing with Alice before had given me had evaporated. I just felt cold, hard, dread.

"I'll ring him," Alice said, dashing back to the car for her bag. She kept one hand on my shoulder and squeezed. The phone rang for ages, and finally an answer message came on. Oddly, it was Emmett's voice that spoke, not Edward's.

"Hello, this is Superman. I'm sorry if you need saving, but I'm busy right now! Can you please wait like, three hours, before getting yourself into a pointlessly stupid situation I need to save you from?"

Then there was a loud bang over the phone and a shout. It sounded like someone had wrestled the phone from someone else. Then Edward's voice spoke out.

"Emmett, what were you doing with my phone?"

There was no answer.

I heard Edward curse. "What the heck?" he said. He paused for a while, and then seemed to realize it was an answer phone message that was being recorded, because he spoke again in a brisk voice.

"Hello, this is Edward Cullen. I'm sorry, but obviously I am not available right now. Please ring back if it's important, or leave a message."

Alice snapped the phone closed and laughed, holding her stomach.

"He didn't play it back to see what Emmett said!" she laughed.

I giggled. Hearing Edward's voice had made me feel somewhat better. My worry had vanished, but I still felt a throbbing in the back of my throat, like I was about to cry. I spoke past it, "Lets not tell him!"

"No," Alice managed to say. "Let's not!"

I stood up slowly and felt my head spin. I clutched Alice's shoulder to stop myself from falling. And then Alice's phone rang.

Oooh, what will happen? Who will be on the phone?

Have a guess, and the first person that gets the right guess can have a mention and a sneak peak at the next chapter!

CullenLove


	9. Your Wish Is My Command

The 'winner' of the Guess-Who-Is-On-The-Phone-Competition is- Luthien Flicker 

(But thanks everyone else for reviewing!!)

  
Disclaimer: 

CullenLove: Come here, Edward!

Edward: Why? You don't own me!

CullenLove: Damn. Good point. 

Edward: You don't own me, you don't own Bella, you don't own Alice, you don't own Carlisle-

CullenLove: SHUT UP!

Edward: Or what?

CullenLove: Or I'll make you snog a werewolf in my story!

Edward: --Silence—

Bella's POV

_I stood up slowly and felt my head spin. I clutched Alice's shoulder to stop myself from falling. And then Alice's phone rang. _

"Yes?" Alice said, snapping it open. She supported me under the arm and led me back to the car.

I could hear Edward on the other end of the phone, but couldn't hear what he was saying because he was speaking at vampire speed. All I could hear was a vague low humming. I couldn't make anything out, but he sounded worried. He stopped speaking after a few seconds, and Alice replied.

"Yes… yes," she said. And then she started talking faster and faster, and her voice became more animated. She held open the car door for me and I got in, and strapped myself in. In the next second, she was in the driver's seat, and had started the car.

After a few seconds more, she passed the phone over to me.

"Bella," Edward said.

"Yes?" I said.

"Are you feeling okay? Alice told me you didn't feel well."

"I'm fine," I said. Hearing his voice made me feel better.

"I'm coming back as fast as I can," Edward said smoothly. His voice was even lower and more perfect than normal, as he has just hunted.

"Good," I said.

"Try not to worry about the poster," Edward said. "We'll think of something."

"Carlisle will," Alice said from beside me.

"Yes," Edward said. "Carlisle will know what to do."

"I miss you Edward," I said. I expected him to laugh- he had only been away for a couple of hours, but he didn't.

His voice sounded choked now. I could hear wind rushing by through the phone, and guessed he was running. "I miss you too."

"I'll pack tonight," I said.

"I'll be back to see that you do," Edward said. I could imagine the half-smile that would be on his face right now. "And until then…" He trailed off.

"Yes?" I pressed.

"Don't forget me," he answered.

_How odd…_ I thought as I hung up. _As if I could ever, ever, forget Edward. _

Alice's POV

We reached home half an hour later, and when we got inside, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Rosalie were having an arm wrestling contest. Jasper and Esme were at the table now, Esme's hand quivering half a centimetre from the table. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes were determined.

"Hello Bella," Esme said, speaking from between her teeth.

"Hey," Bella replied.

I ran at vampire speed up to Edward's room and dumped Bella's plastic bags of clothes, food and other stuff on the sofa. When I rejoined Bella, Esme was still in the same position as before. Her whole arm was shaking with the effort.

"Come on, Esme!" Carlisle urged her on.

"GO JAZZ!" I shouted.

"GO ESME!" Carlisle shouted louder.

Then Emmett started chanting. "JASPER FOR THE WIN, JASPER FOR THE WIN, JASPER FOR THE WIN!"

"GO ESME!" Rosalie screamed, "ESME, ESME, ESME!"

I watched as Esme started to laugh, then Jasper took advantage of her laughter and slammed her hand onto the table.

"YES!" Emmett shouted. "BOYS WIN THIS ROUND!"

"BOO!" Rosalie screamed.

I guessed that Bella was thinking, 'how loud and crazy can this family get?' and giggled to myself.

"Next round," Carlisle said.

"Who is up next?" I asked.

They all turned and seemed to notice me for the first time. Jasper jumped up from the table and bounded up to me, wrapping me in his arms and pulling me closer.

"I won," Jasper said, and pressed his lips to mine. His hands slid down my back. He kissed me passionately, pulling the sunglasses from my eyes and dropping them onto the table beside me. He pushed me backwards, so that my back was up against the end of the sofa, and then I overbalanced and we fell backwards. My body landed on soft leather, and Jasper ended up on top of me. He ran his hand down the side of my body.

"AHEM!"

Rosalie cleared her throat loudly.

"Ignore her," Jasper breathed against my lips.

I shook my head slightly, and rolled out from underneath him and onto the floor. He fell with a plop onto the sofa, and I jumped up from the floor.

"WHO WILL CHALLENGE ME?" I shouted with excitement.

"I WILL!" Emmett said, punching a fist into the air.

"You've already done a match!" Rosalie shouted.

"What are the scores?" I asked.

"Emmett was against… me… and he… won," Rosalie said as if eating something disgusting, "Jasper was against Esme, and he won. So that is two to the boys, none to the girls."

"So it's Carlisle against me then?" I said.

"Yeah, I guess," Rosalie said.

"Let's have a team talk," I said, and Rosalie and Esme bounded over to me.

Bella stood in the middle of the floor, looking embarrassed.

"Come here, Bella!" I said, "You are part of Team Girl too!"

She came over, looking happy that we wanted her in our team. We all put our arms around each other and leaned in close so the boys wouldn't hear so clearly.

"We're two down," I started in a brisk voice, "So I need to beat Carlisle. Unless you want to go against him, Bella?"

Bella shook her head forcefully.

"It's either Carlisle, or Edward you have to be against!" Rosalie said.

"You don't have to join in, if you don't want to, dear," Esme said.

"Of course she does!" Rosalie said. "Don't you want to win?"

"I have a plan," I said. They all turned to me expectantly. "We have two more matches- me against Edward, and Bella against Carlisle. We are two down already, so we have to win both of those matches to win!"

"How am I going to do that?" Bella said, her face white. "I can't beat a vampire at strength!"

"That's where my plan comes in!" I said, "We need to use everything we have if we want to win. The first part of the plan happens when you are wrestling Carlisle, Bella."

Bella looked very scared.

"Carlisle wont hurt you, Bella," Esme said, "He's too much of a softie."

"Esme," I said, "This is where you come in. You need to distract Carlisle in any way you can. Use your 'womanly powers'!"

"Distract Carlisle," Esme said, nodding. "I get it!"

"And then when I'm against Edward, Bella will come downstairs in a… ahem… revealing dress, and jump on him."

"_Revealing dress?_" Bella said. Her face was pale. Her hands were shaking.

"Yeah!" I said, confident the plan would work. "Come on, Bella, you'll be fine! We will pick something really nice!"

"That's not what I'm worried about," Bella said.  
"Don't worry about anything," I said. "You can't let them win, can you?"

Bella shook her head forcefully and blushed deeply. "No!"

"Good girl," Esme said.

I skipped forward to the boys. "Here are the matches- Carlisle against Bella, and Edward against me!"

Emmett scoffed. I heard him mutter, "Easy!"

I scowled. "If it's so easy, then you won't mind if we add some rewards and booby traps, and bets!"

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Alice…" he said warningly.

"What booby traps and rewards and bets?" Emmett said.

"Well, the losers have to eat loads of candy," I started. "I have some upstairs."

"Agreed," Emmett said before anyone else could speak.

"And the losers have to be the slaves of the winners for a whole night," I said.

"Agreed!" Emmett said again.

"Wait!" Jasper said, "Listen to all of the conditions before you agree, Emmett!"

"It's too late now!" Rosalie sang.

"The last one is- the winners get to keep the Xbox for a month!"

"Agreed!" Emmett shouted.

"Yes!" I said.

"This is going to be easy!" Emmett said.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Jasper said, "Alice has something up her sleeve."

"Now you've agreed, we can't go back on it," Carlisle said.

"We'd better win," Jasper said.

"Carlisle, it's you against Bella first!"

"Come on then, Bella," Carlisle said, taking his place on the seat by the table.

Jasper patted Bella's arm and smiled. "Go easy on him, he's getting old."

Carlisle turned to him and growled deeply, his lips pulled back over his teeth. His eyes flashed black and they stared at Jasper threateningly. (A/N: SCARY CARLISLE! Bet you've never heard that before!)

"It was a joke," Jasper laughed.

Carlisle looked back at Bella, his eyes light butterscotch again. "Where were we?"

Bella's POV

I put my hand in his and rested the tip of my elbow on the table. I looked towards Esme, and we shared a small nod, acknowledging that we each remembered the plan.

"Ready," Emmett said, "Set… go!"

I jammed my elbow on the table and pushed as hard as I could against Carlisle. He pushed back with amazing force; almost jarring my shoulder. I could feel my muscles straining just to keep my hand from slamming straight onto the table. The muscles were standing out on Carlisle's shoulder, just under his pale skin, though I knew he was being gentle with me.

"GO BELLA!" I heard Alice shout.

I took a deep breath and pushed harder, and was rewarded with moving my hand a centimetre further away from the table, but whether that was Carlisle just letting me move a bit, I don't know. He ground his teeth together, and pushed back suddenly, with a snap of his wrist. It felt like my shoulder was dislocating. _Remind me to never play arm wrestling with a vampire again! Even though he is obviously being careful, this still wrecks!_

_Come on, Esme! _I thought. When would she start the plan? I was slowly dying while she watched!

She seemed to have understood the look I gave her, because she leant forward and put her lips to Carlisle's ear. And then, and I couldn't believe it; she _began to chew on his ear!_

Carlisle jumped and turned to look at Esme. She put her head on his shoulder and ran her hands down to his waist.

"Carlisle…" she moaned.

I took the opportunity Esme had made, and slammed Carlisle's fist onto the table. I jumped up, screaming, "YES!"

"WE WON!" Rosalie screamed.

Esme leant back and smiled. Carlisle glared at her, but when she continued smiling, he softened.

"Cheater," he whispered, picking her up and kissing the end of her nose. "Well done, Bella, for a good match and a good bit of trickery!"

I danced around the room happily, Alice following my footsteps.

"And as for you," Carlisle said, waggling a finger at Esme, "You'll get your punishment later."

"Ooooh," Esme said.

"You should be afraid- very afraid," Carlisle said, baring his teeth and swooping around the room with Esme in his arms, obviously trying to do an impression of Dracula. He didn't do a very good job, and broke out laughing after a while.

"So we lost," Emmett said. He looked down and twiddled his thumbs, and they were moving so fast they blurred.

"That was pretty bad Carlisle," Jasper laughed, "You lost against a _human_!"

"Hey!" I said. "There is nothing wrong with humans!"

"Yeah," Alice agreed, giving Jasper a fake dark glare, which he took for real, "I think Bella has just proved that!"

"Sorry Alice," Jasper said. He looked like an upset puppy.

"You're forgiven," Alice said.

"When will Edward be back?" Emmett said, "I want to know when we are going to win the next match."

"You wont win, Emmett. But to answer your second question, we rang Edward," Alice said, "He went hunting and he'll be back soon."

"Oh good," Esme said.

"Bella! Come with me, upstairs," Alice said. She took my hand and pulled me up the stairs, with Rosalie and Esme following. I could hear the boys talking tactics for the last match from behind.

"So what clothes are we forcing her into?" Rosalie asked Alice.

I gulped.

"You know that one…" Alice said, and nodded meaningfully at Rosalie.

Rosalie stared at Alice in confusion, then knowledge came over her features and she nodded back.

"Oh my god, yes!" Rosalie clapped her hands and rushed out of the room.

"What is it?" I said worriedly.

"Nothing," Alice said sweetly.

Rosalie burst into the room a second later, with a dress over her arm and a pair of shoes hanging off her index finger by the straps. She put the shoes on Alice's bed and held the dress up for me to look at.

It was a beautiful dress, the prettiest dress I have ever, ever seen. It was mostly a hot pink colour, but had a tie-dyed effect of green, white, yellow and red. It was ruffled around the bottom, and short, which would apparently 'show off my legs' as Alice said. It was low-cut and would also apparently 'show off my neck' as Rosalie added. Esme just smiled warmly and told me I would look beautiful in it.

(A/N: Link to see dress is on my bio ! )

"Go try it on!" Rosalie said, passing me the dress. The material was soft, and silky, and ran through my fingers like liquid. Alice pushed the shoes into my hands and led me towards the bathroom door that was attached to hers and Jasper's room.

She pushed me inside, and then closed the door with a snap.

I turned around, and saw a mirror that ran along the back of the room, above a row of sinks. There was a hairdryer and some straighteners on a shelf, and a socket to the left of the sinks.

"Be quick, Bella, we want to see it!" Alice shouted, her voice muffled through the door but still high and happy.

I slid off my clothes and folded them into a pile. I could hear Alice jumping around excitedly outside the door, and smiled good-naturedly. I slipped the dress over my hips and pulled it easily up over my flat stomach. I did the straps over my shoulder and then turned to look in the mirror.

I was genuinely shocked at my reflection. _Was that me that I could see in the mirror? Surely I could never look that good!_

The dress hugged my curves like it had been fitted especially for me. I opened the door slowly, and stepped out.

"Oh. My. God!" Rosalie said.

"You are so beautiful, Bella!" Alice said.

"Wow," was all Esme said. She grinned.

"Edward is going to _love _you in that!" Rosalie whispered, so the vampires downstairs wouldn't hear.

"Come on," Alice said, and dragged me back into the bathroom. She spent the next hour straightening my hair and putting it into two messy plaits.

"Why are they messy?" I asked, holding a plait up to the mirror. Bits of my hair were sticking out of the plait. I couldn't believe that Alice would actually do something wrong!

"They are supposed to be like that, silly!" Alice said. She laughed to herself, and I could hear her mutter, "Bella, Bella, Bella," under her breath. It was so quiet I wasn't sure I had actually heard it, or just imagined it.

Rosalie leant forward and applied some light pink eyeshadow.

"What about lip-gloss?" Esme said, noticing that none had been put on me yet.

"She has to look natural, Esme," Alice explained.

"Oh yes," Esme said, grinning a lopsided smile into the mirror. "Of course."

Half an hour later, at around seven, Alice and Rosalie let me out of the bathroom.

I sighed deeply and sat down on Alice and Jasper's bed. I reached up to scratch my eyelid but Alice grabbed my hand before I could.

"Don't wreck your makeup," she said. "Edward hasn't seen you yet."

"Okay," I agreed, and lowered my hand to my side.

"Let's go over the plan," Alice said.

"Right," Rosalie said. "Phase one: Alice starts to wrestle Edward."

"And where will you be, Bella?" Alice asked.

"I'll be upstairs, making no noise and pretending I'm not here," I said.

"Correct," Alice said.

"Phase two: Bella will come downstairs, rush over to Edward and hug him, kiss him, throw herself at him, or something to that affect," Rosalie said.

"Correct," Alice chimed in.

"And then what happens?" Esme asked.

"Edward will be sufficiently distracted," Alice said.

"And what does that mean?" I said.

"It means we win."

"It means we win the bet, the boys have to be our slave for a whole night, they have to eat candy, and we get to confiscate the Xbox for a month!"

"And what else do we get?" Alice said. "Bella?"

"I don't know," I said.

"We get to say that girls are the best, and the boys can't disagree!"

I heard a bang from downstairs and Alice froze.

"Edward's home," she whispered urgently. "Come on!"

We rushed out of her room and along the corridor.

"Stay there, and hide. I'll signal when you have to come down," Alice said.

I hid behind the banister, my body in the shadow. The ornamental decoration on the staircase banister hid my body from view, and I watched through the cracks in it.

Rosalie and Alice skipped down the stairs, and I heard Esme mutter 'good luck' as she passed me. I could just see half of Edward's face through the banister. He was taking off his beige coat, hanging it on a peg. He walked forward a bit and looked towards where I guessed Alice was.

"Where is Bella?"

"She's upstairs," Alice said.

"Doing what?" Edward said.

"Sleeping," Rosalie said.

"At seven o'clock?" Edward asked, glancing at the expensive watch around his wrist.

"Yes," Alice said. "She was tired after the shopping."

"Right," Edward said. "I'll just go and see her-"

He started to move forward but Alice stepped into his path. She took him by the shoulders and moved him backwards.

"Not yet," Alice said. "You can see her later. We have a competition going on here."

"A _competition_?" Edward said. His voice was strained as he fought to keep his voice sounding polite. "Alice, I haven't seen Bella for six hours!"

"What are you worried about?" Rosalie said. "Bella is fine."

"If you go up now, dear, you'll disturb her," Esme said.

I knew Edward would listen to her. He turned to Alice. "What competition?"

"A hand-wrestling one," Alice said.

"The teams are split into boys and girls," Rosalie said. "And the boys are winning so far, at two games to one." She sounded like an announcer or commentator for a baseball game.

"So?" Edward said. "Doesn't that mean the guys win?"

"No!" Rosalie said. "Alice hasn't wrestled yet!"

"Who else is on your team, then?" Edward said. "There are an equal number of boys and girls with me gone."

"No there aren't," Esme said. "Bella wanted to join in, so she did."

"_Bella _joined in?" Edward said.

"Don't sound so surprised!"

"Who did she wrestle then?"

"Carlisle," Esme smiled.

"_And_?" Edward pressed.

"_And she won,_" Alice said proudly. I chuckled quietly from my hiding place behind the banister, and Edward looked away from Alice and up towards me. He stared with narrowed eyes at a spot only about two centimetres from where I was. I moved back into the shadows quietly.

_Damn! He saw me! _I thought.

And then _Edward turned back to Alice_ He hadn't seen me!

_How didn't he see me? He looked straight at me!_

"Bella won against Carlisle," Edward said, in a disbelieving voice.

"She did!"

"How did that happen?"

"Don't be so tactless, Edward! What if Bella was listening?" Alice said.

Edward turned to stare at her. "I thought you said she was in bed!"

"I was _joking _then Edward! Of course she isn't listening!" Alice said. Her forehead was creased in concentration, and she was obviously trying to stop Edward from reading her mind.

Edward narrowed his eyes still further. "Why are you thinking about the ten different uses for a bra in your head?"

"You read my mind?" Alice said. "Edward!"

"What?" he said.

"Don't be so intruding!" Alice said.

"How can you _use a bra as a bag_?" Edward said.

Alice sniggered. "There is still so much you don't know…"

"Can we get back to the competition?" Jasper said. "I don't care for this conversation."

"You're right," Alice said, beaming at Jasper. She pecked him on the cheek.

"So who am I against?"

"Me," Alice said.

Edward laughed. "Against you?"

Alice growled. "Don't say anything more."

"Right. Fine." Edward sat down on the chair and pulled up his sleeves. He leant his elbow on the table. I stared at his pale skin, so perfectly chiselled from hard marble, as it looked from where I was hiding.

Alice pulled up the sleeves of her red polo shirt and put her elbow on the table.

"Ready," Carlisle said.

"Set," Jasper added.

"GO!" Emmett shouted.

Alice began to push against Edward's hand, but with a massive slam, he brought her hand almost onto the table. Alice squinted, her teeth grinding loudly as she pushed back. She pushed for about a minute, but her hand didn't move, and she finally looked up at me and communicated with her eyes. Now was the time I had to do Phase Two of the plan.

I stood up slowly, and then making as much noise as I could, I bounded down the stairs. Edward looked up at me, and surprise and shock filled his eyes. His eyes seemed to devour me as I rushed across the floor towards him. Then my foot caught on the edge of the carpet, and suddenly I was flying through the air.

In the split second before I hit the floor, Alice slammed Edward's fist into the table. Then several things happened at once. Alice jumped up, screaming that we had won. Rosalie cheered; Esme stared at me, her features frozen in shock. Emmett and Jasper rushed forwards towards me, Carlisle jumped up from his chair. And Edward yanked his hand from under Alice's and basically flew towards me.

"BELLA!"

I put my hands up, to try and stop my face getting smashed against the marble floor. I felt two strong hands wrap around my waist and stop me falling. Then I was lifted slowly and set on my feet.

"Oh, Bella," Edward said breathlessly. He rested his forehead on my shoulder. "Be more careful."

"Edward," I said. "I missed you."

Edward held me away from him slightly so he could look me up and down. "You look…" He trailed off.

"I look…?" I said.

"I can't think of a word." His voice sounded pained. I guessed the English language had never evaded him before.

"Horrible? Nice? Okay?" I suggested.

Edward shook his head. He ran his hands from my shoulders down to my hips, and then spun me around. With his hand on the small of my back, he led me towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?"

Edward didn't answer. He just picked me up and cradled me against his chest. The next thing I knew, we were in his room. He took his hand off my back, but I could feel a cold tingling where his hand had been. I shivered, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up pleasantly.

"So you managed to survive a couple of hours without me?" Edward said softly. I walked over to the sofa, sensing him watching me from behind.

"Yeah," I said, "I managed. Just about."

"What was all that about arm wrestling?" Edward said. "About you winning against Carlisle?"

"Oh," I said. "Esme distracted him and I won."

"Just what you did with me, then," Edward grinned, looking boyish. I leant back on the sofa and he stood in front of me like a forgotten statue of some god. His hair was messy and tousled, and his eyes were light, dancing with amusement. My eyes travelled to his chest, which was bare. He had a jacket slung over his shoulders.

I got up and pulled it off his shoulders, dropping it to the floor behind him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Be good," he said softly.

I didn't answer, just took his waist and pulled him closer.

"You look beautiful, Bella," Edward said.

I pulled him closer to me, and he fell backwards onto my lap with an 'oof'. He smiled and spun me around so I was lying on the sofa and he was on top of me, his body pressed against every line of mine.

"Thanks," I said.

Edward was slightly heavy, but his body was a nice pressure on mine. He brought his cold lips to my shoulder and nuzzled his head against my neck. I felt his cold breath on my collarbone.

"Did Alice pick the dress?" he murmured against my skin, drawing spirals on my neck with his finger.

"Yeah," I said breathlessly. Edward looked up at me and kissed the corner of my mouth. I ran my hand through his soft hair, and moved his head slightly to the right so that his lips were on mine. I could feel his lips curve into a smile, then they moved against mine in a passionate kiss. Edward had never kissed me like this before.

He pulled back after a second, leaving me gasping. _That was amazing,_ I thought. My head felt like it was full of mush. I could feel Edward's tongue on my neck, and I could hear him whisper words like '_delicious'_ against my hot skin. I bent one leg so that it was wrapped around his hip.

Suddenly there was a massive bang and Edward's door rocked back against his hinges. I moved my head to peek past Edward at the door, and saw Alice, her arms laden with candy and crisps.

"Play nicely, Edward," Alice reprimanded sharply.

"Ignore her," Edward whispered to me, his voice velvety. He ran one hand down my side and left it resting on my thigh. I could feel his breath like honey against my cheek as he explored the curves of my hips with his hand.

"Edward," Alice said loudly. "Keep up your side of the bet."

Edward ignored her again, and cupped my head with his hand. He kissed me again, one hand tangled in my hair.

"EDWARD!" Alice said.

Edward pulled back angrily and snarled. "Can't you see I'm _busy_?"

"Keep up your side of the bet!" Alice said again. She came further into the room and dropped the massive pile of candy on top of us. Lots landed on my chest. Edward swept it away gently with his hand.

"What the hell do you want me to do with this? I didn't make a bet with you!" Edward said. He rolled sideways off me and jumped to his feet. His stance was almost in a crouch, and his eyes were dark, though not quite black.

"Bella?" Alice prompted me. She wanted me to explain the arm wrestling competition to Edward. No way was I making him angry. I shook my head, and Alice sighed.

"Just eat the damn candy, Edward," Alice said. Her high voice was laced with annoyance and underlying anger, but she managed to hide it pretty well.

Edward's reply was icy cold, and scared me. "Get out of my room now."

Alice stared at him for a long second and then turned on her heels and marched out of the room with a stiff back. Edward followed her, and slammed the door behind her.

I stiffened on the sofa. Edward whirled around, but his eyes were dancing with laughter. He came back over to me and spun me up into his arms.

"Fooled her," he grinned. He ran one hand through my hair, his fingers cold against my burning skin. I wondered if this was what everyone meant when they said 'burning with passion'.

"So what do I have to eat candy for?" Edward said. "Did I subconsciously agree to one of Alice's little plans?" He picked up a lolly and spun it around in his fingers. I watched it move with fascination. "Well, Bella? Have you gone mute?"

I explained the competition to him.

"Hmmm," Edward said. "Judging from Alice's thoughts, she has already hidden the Xbox, not that I ever play on it. But Emmett wont be too happy."

"Well he'll have to deal with it," I said.

"Fire in the old girl still, then?" Edward said to me, a crooked smile on his face. "Just how I like you."

I blushed deeply.

"Also how I like you," Edward added, pressing his lips to the red patches on my cheeks.

Then he leant back and seemed to consider something. When he looked back at me, his eyes were smouldering and burning in his face. His lips were parted slightly, his pale skin sparkling with the last rays of the setting sun.

"So…" Edward said in a low, smooth voice. "I guess I'm your slave for the night then?" He looked down at me from under his black lashes, his eyes growing darker. I loved the effect it had on his face- it made him look almost hungry.

"I guess you are," I smiled.

"You wish is my command, then, fair princess," Edward said.

…

There ya go, a mushy chapter for you guys! Oh how I love fluff…. X

Tell me what you thought of it!

CullenLove

Ps. Bella's dress is on my bio !


	10. A Night Out

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, my other stories were taking up too much brain space!

Just so you know… my other stories are these-

'Pocket Pinups: Portraits of the Cullen Family'

'I Don't Know You Any More'

If you have time, it would be great if you read them!

I hope you like this chapter!  
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters. This is all Stephenie Meyer's.

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"_So…" Edward said in a low, smooth voice. "I guess I'm your slave for the night then?" He looked down at me from under his black lashes, his eyes growing darker. I loved the effect it had on his face- it made him look almost hungry. _

"_I guess you are," I smiled. _

"_You wish is my command, then, fair princess," Edward said._

"Can we go out, Edward?" I said.  
"Where would you like to go?" Edward stood up and laid me on the sofa. He then went over to his wardrobe and took out a white shirt. I got up and followed him, doing the buttons up for him. I rolled up his sleeves and left the top few buttons undone.

"So you can see what you're missing?" Edward said with a smile.

I didn't answer, just flung a pair of shoes and a black jacket into his hands. Then I skipped from the room.

I danced down the corridor happily and rapped on Alice's bedroom door. I could hear Edward coming down the corridor behind me.

"Bella?" he said softly.

"I'll meet you downstairs," I said. He nodded and went down the stairs, his hand trailing down the banister like he was a prince descending into his banquet hall.

_What a good prince he would make, _I thought.

Alice peeped her head around the door.

"Yes?" she said brightly. She seemed to be in a good mood. Jasper peered out from behind her and sent a dazzling smile my way.

"Do you want to come out with Edward and I?" I said.

"Has Edward eaten his candy?" Alice asked.

"Yep," I lied, trying to save Edward hours of coughing up human food in his bathroom. He hadn't been the one to agree to the bet, anyway. That was Emmett.

"Good," Alice said.

"Has Jasper?" I asked.

"…Yeah," Alice said, but I got the impression that she had taken pity on her husband, just like I had with Edward.

I raised one eyebrow. Alice and I smiled at each other, each knowing that the candy hadn't been touched.

"We're too nice," I said.

"Thank god you are," Jasper said. "I don't fancy chucking up food all night. No thank you."

"You won your match anyway," Alice said with pride.

"Emmett was the only one to actually eat the candy," Jasper laughed. "Rosalie made him."

"Good for her," Alice said. "She's got some backbone."

"So do you guys want to come?" I said.

"Sure," Jasper said. "That okay, Alice?"

"Yep," Alice said. "Just let us get dressed."

"Okay," I smiled. I closed their door after them and walked softly down the stairs.

Edward was waiting in the living room, leaning against the wall. He smiled when he saw me, and it lit up his face.

I walked past the wreckage of the airing stand that I had tripped over not long ago, and closed one eye so I wouldn't have to see the door that had been scratched of all its paint when the airing stand had hit it.

"Esme and Jasper are going to fix that tomorrow," Edward said. "Esme brought some paint today."

"I'm so sorry about it," I said.

Carlisle came down into the lounge from his study. "Where are you going?" he said, noticing my dress and Edward's posh clothes.

"Out," Edward said.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah, Jasper and Alice are coming too," I added.

"Don't be back too late, Edward," Carlisle said. "We have to set off to Victoria's house tomorrow morning."

"Have a good time then," Esme said, sticking her head around the kitchen door. She was wearing an apron and had flour in her hair.

"Oh, that's where you are, Esme!" Carlisle said.

Esme ducked back into the kitchen, but it was too late because Carlisle had already seen her.

"You can't get away from me now!" Carlisle said, running into the kitchen. He came out a second later, with Esme in her arms. He pulled the oven gloves from her hands and ran upstairs with her.

I looked at Edward and smiled questioningly.

"I guess Esme will get payback for distracting Carlisle in his wrestling match against you," Edward said. He slipped his hand into mine, and our intertwined fingers fitted together like they had been made to be together, never apart. I smiled at this thought.

"Alice!" Edward called, his voice no louder than I would use in normal conversation.

But Alice obviously heard, because she appeared at the top of the stairs. She looked beautiful- like a goddess, like a princess. Her lips were coated in red lipstick, so perfectly applied. Her hair was silky and soft and hung in short messy waves about her face. Her slender body was covered by a short red dress, the same shade as her lipstick. She grinned impishly and started down the stairs.

Then Jasper appeared behind her. He was wearing black slacks, and had a white shirt much like Edward's on top. His blonde hair was brushed neatly, and I guessed Alice had attacked him with a brush to make him look presentable.

He had a sour and grumpy look on his face as he followed his wife.

"Alice," he moaned, fiddling with the bowtie at his neck, "Do I honestly have to wear this?"

"Yes," Alice said.

"But _why?_" Jasper said. "It's uncomfortable."

"You look lovely," Alice said.

Jasper came to a stop beside her. He heaved a sigh like a frustrated child. "I don't want to look lovely."

"Fine," Alice said, "You look sexy."

Alice marched towards the front door, grabbing her car keys from a hook beside the door. Jasper followed her, and then when she was not looking, took off the bowtie and hid it in his pocket. He winked at me as he passed.

"Come on then, Bella," Edward said, leading me by the hand out of the house. He closed the door behind him and then we got into the back of Alice's car. Before I knew it, we were driving.

"Where are we going?" I asked, snuggling against Edward's cold, hard, but comforting body.

"We're going to a dance," Alice said.

"A dance?" I said, horror filling my voice.

"Yes," Alice said. "A dance in Port Angeles."

"But- but…" I started, but stopped when Alice flashed me a stunning smile in the mirror.

"Don't worry," Alice said, "You have Edward to look after you."

"But I decided I wanted to go out… I didn't even tell you beforehand. How did you plan for us to go to a dance?" I said.

"I can see the future, Bella," Alice said. "I booked tickets."

"Oh god," I said, "No, no, no!"

"Yes, yes yes!"

"You planned all of this, didn't you?" I said.

"Uh huh," Alice said. Jasper took the hand that wasn't on the steering wheel and squeezed it.

Alice looked sideways and then frowned. "What happened to the bowtie?" she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I must have lost it," Jasper said sincerely, but then spoiled the effect by wiggling his eyebrows at me.

Edward's POV

Bella relaxed after a while, obviously deciding not to bother arguing about the dance. She knew she would never win against vampires.

_Hmmm, _Jasper thought, _Alice sure looks gorgeous tonight. I wonder why she chose to take us to a dance… and I hope she doesn't go in a huff about the bowtie. _

I turned my head to look at Alice and to listen to her 'voice'.

_Bella sure is going to love what we have planned for tonight. A whole night dancing… and she is wearing the perfect shoes for it. I'm glad I had some shoes she wouldn't trip up or get blisters in. I really hope Edward and Jasper have a good night too. _

"Where are Rose and Emmett?"

"They went out hunting," Jasper said, "On a long trip."

"Where?"

"To Europe. Though they didn't say where, I think it might have been England."

(A/N: If you review, Emmett will come to your house and bite you, English people!)

The car pulled up outside a large building, made of stone. When I opened the door, a massive gust of wind blew through the car with a whistling sound. Bella's dress flapped in the wind as I helped her out, and her hair was blowing about her face like it was alive.

"It sure is windy," Jasper supplied.

I heard a faint beep as Alice locked the car, and then she led us across the road towards the stone building. Fairy lights were arranged in a tree outside the entrance, and the building's door was sporting a large sign, which said 'Winter Annual Dance'.

"Here we go," Alice said, handing four tickets to a man that stood outside the doorway in a black tux. He smiled warmly at us and his eyes followed Bella and Alice as we ushered them inside.

The inside of the building was one large room, basically one massive dance floor. There were chairs set around the edge of the room, along the walls, so people could sit down if they got tired of dancing. A bar covered the right wall, and people were walking away from it with fruity cocktails in their hands. There was an air of happy celebration, and I didn't need Jasper's power to feel the high spirits in the room tonight.

"This is lovely," I heard Bella say.

"It is," Alice smiled back at her. "I knew you would like it."

"Do you want to dance?" Jasper asked Alice, kissing her hand.

"Yes, all right," Alice said. She smiled at Bella and I before following Jasper into the crowd.

"Would you like a drink?" I asked Bella.

"Yes please," she answered.

I took her by the waist, my hands marvelling at the warmth of her skin, and led her over to the bar.

"Good evening," the man behind the bar said to Bella. He looked about twenty, but had an air of authority about him. Two younger boys stood behind him, waiting for Bella's order so they could get the drinks. All three men were tall- abnormally tall- and muscled. They each had the same look in their eyes- soft of animal. I frowned and hugged Bella closer.

"Can I have a coke, please?" Bella asked me, turning to look at my face.

"Sure," I answered, not taking my eyes of the men.

They all turned to look at me at the same time, noticing me. I had been standing behind Bella before, but their eyes were fixed on me now. They frowned.

I slapped some bills onto the counter and the boys got Bella her drink. They didn't bother to ask me if I wanted anything, seeming to know that I would refuse. As I led Bella away, I couldn't mask the feeling that they seemed familiar.

Bella finished her drink quickly, and walked back over to the bar to return her glass. I watched as one of the boys locked eyes with me from across the room, then smiled oddly and turned to Bella. It occurred to me that I hadn't tried to listen to their thoughts before. I tried now, from the other side of the dance floor.

_I wish he would ask me to dance. Those girls are looking at me like I'm a loner, without a boyfriend. If my man would just ask me to dance, I could show them. _

I ignored that woman's 'voice' and tried listening again. A multitude of different thoughts burst into my head, pressing themselves against me like they each wanted to be the one to be heard. I rubbed a temple as I sorted through them, ignoring those ones I didn't need to hear.

_I want a drink… I'm so thirsty. Damn! I left my purse at home- _No, that was not them. I shook this man's thoughts off.

_Look at him! His flyer is undone! _Someone thought, and I looked down to check that it wasn't me. It wasn't. I smirked as a woman grabbed the shoulder of a man standing close to me and spoke to him.

"Your flyer is undone," she said with a patronising grin on her face.

The man looked down in horror, and then fled from the room. I felt sorry for him, but my attention wandered when I noticed Bella was pushing her way back across the floor towards me.

"Hey," she said softly as she reached my side.

I took her hand and kissed it, my lips brushing her knuckles softly. "Would you give me the honour of a dance?" I asked.

"Yes," Bella said breathlessly.

I found a spot empty of people and took Bella's waist, at once forgetting any worries I had had about the bar boys. I clutched Bella close, and she rested her head against my chest as we swayed to the music. It was one of those pieces of genius that you call a slow song.

_I love being close to Bella, _I thought, _I can't believe she wants to be with me!_

Alice's POV

As Jasper and I spun around to the song, I spotted Bella and Edward at the bar. Edward's face looked concerned, worried, anxious and angry all at the same time. His gaze was fixed on the man behind the bar's.

"Who are they?" I whispered to Jasper, who had also noticed them.

"I don't know," Jasper said.

I felt a wave of calm pass over me, and guessing it was Jasper, said, "Jasper… don't do that."

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I just don't want you to worry."

I leaned closer to him. He was so considerate, willing to take the pain away from others and shoulder it himself. I decided to thank him, and voiced it aloud.

As the song ended, I felt a vision coming on. Half in this world and half in another, I felt Jasper notice and take me by the hand, leading me towards the chairs set against the wall.

_The smell of sweat lingers over the room…_

_Half-closed eyes. _

_Lidded- beady. There was knowledge in them…?_

_Warmth… heat- spreading. _

_Something pressed against her face. _

_Flashes of colour- a glimpse of anger. _

_Rage, ferocity, battle. _

_Crouched. Standing over her, fight until the death. _

_And then it's slipping… slipping away. _

I opened my eyes, and with a gasp, looked into Jasper's face, which was only an inch from mine.

"What was it, Alice?" he said, his voice anxious, "What did you see?"

"I don't know…" I said slowly. "I can't make sense of it."

"Are you okay?" Jasper said, shaking me by the shoulders softly, "What was it like?"

"I'm fine," I said. "The vision. It was flashes… I couldn't see clearly. It was like looking through a cracked window pane."

"What happened?"

"Well… I saw fire. And fur, of some sort."

"Was anyone there?" Jasper said, "Anyone we know?"

"There were two people. Two vampires, I could see the pale skin."

"Who were they?" Jasper pressed.

"I couldn't see," I said, frustrated. "There was something in the way."

I staggered up from the seat and Jasper caught me, steadying me.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes," I said. "But do you think we should find Edward and Bella, and tell them?"

"I don't know," Jasper replied. "Did the vision seem important?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "It's annoying! I don't know _anything, _not even who it concerned, but I feel anxious."

"Maybe we should tell them, then," Jasper said.

I thought for a second, and then shook my head. "Don't want to spoil their night."

"Are you sure, Alice? It could be important."

"I can deal with it," I said. "_We _can deal with it, right?"

Jasper nodded. "I'm always with you."

"Thanks," I said, loving him more than ever.

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I'm sorry if it is shorter than the other chapters :D

I have been soooo busy!  
Damn all teachers to hell XD

From CullenLove

Ps. REVIEW!

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	11. Jake the Spy

Here is the next chapter :D  
Sorry for the delay!

**I need people to sign a petition against homework! Lol**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters :(**

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Jacob's POV

The party was hot tonight- like it was every year. A multitude of young women and teenagers spun around on the floor with their partners. I walked over to the bar, grinning at Sam, Quil and Paul.

"How's it going?" I said, slipping behind the bar to stand with them.

"Good, Jake," Paul said. "There are lots of hot girls here tonight."

"Is that all you think about, Paul?" Sam said, knocking him on the back of the head on purpose with a glass.

"He doesn't have enough brain space for anything else," I supplied, pouring out a beer and passing it to the woman at the bar. I smiled at her and she winked back before walking into the crowd.

"Got yourself at least one fan," Quil teased, jabbing his finger at the retreating back of the girl I had just served. I punched him on the arm.

"Seen anyone you like?" Embry said as he joined me with Jared.

"No," I said.

"I saw a hot girl," Paul said, "But she was already with a guy."

"What was she like?" Embry asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Sam said.

"So he can fantasize about her in Math," I added, gaining me a clump over the back of the head with a shoe.

"She had brown hair," Paul explained, gesturing with his hands, "And she was wearing a short dress, with green, and pink patches… and, er, maybe white too…"

"You're such a loser," I said with a grin. I poured out another couple of cocktails and a martini. Wow, people were drinking tonight.

"Come out back," Sam suddenly said, opening a door behind us. He left one girl to operate the bar, who wasn't part of our 'group', and then closed the door behind us. We were outside now, near the car park. I could see the light reflecting off the cars to my left. I spotted a yellow Porsche and whistled quietly to myself.

"What are we out here for?" Paul asked. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but of course, he wasn't cold in the slightest.

"I wanted to tell you that I think there are more than just humans here tonight," Sam said, "When that brown-haired girl came over… well there was a man standing with her, you know, bronze hair, pale skin? Well he smelled like a vampire."

Sam paused and we each nodded in turn. I nearly laughed, but restrained myself.

"I'm almost completely sure he was a bloodsucker," Sam continued, "And the girl was so pretty she could have been too."

"What do you think we should do?" Jared asked.

"The Cullens aren't allowed to bite humans. Its against the treaty!" Paul almost shouted.

"Shh!"

"Sorry," Paul continued in a whisper. "But its true."

"If she is a vampire, then we attack," Sam said simply. "They can't break the treaty and get away with it."

"I bet she is!" Paul said, "She was all over the other bloodsucker."

"I saw them dancing," Embry said. "Didn't think anything of it though. She had her head on his chest."

"We wait until they leave, then," I offered, "And we watch them."

Sam looked at me for a couple of seconds and then nodded. "Good idea, Jake."

"And then we can see if they have broken the treaty and bitten a human."

By the time the party had finished, almost all the drinks had gone from the shelf behind us. Paul and Jared had spent most of the night dancing with girls, but Embry, Quil and I had faithfully operated the bar while Sam kept his eye on the leeches.

At about twelve, the party began to end. People got their coats and retreated to their cars. It began to rain, but it was only a light drizzle and was more of an annoyance than anything else. I looked out the window to see a couple making out in a car, and turned back to the bar feeling slightly sick.

"Ready, Jake?" Sam muttered under his breath to me as he joined us at the bar. Quil, Embry and Jared were busy tidying up the hall and stacking the chairs in the corner. There was a crowd of people by the coat stand.

"Yeah," I answered.

"The vampires are just about leave now," Sam said. "I'm taking you because I trust you not to let your emotions get out of hand. The others are a bit, you know, _immature _for this? They would probably spend most of their time looking at the females instead of checking to see whether they were vampires."

"Cool," I said. Sam and I slipped out the back door again behind the bar, and closed the door quietly. I could hear the rest of the pack shuffling about inside, tidying up. There was a clank as Paul chucked a bottle into the bin from the other side of the room, and a loud cheer when it landed on target.

"They drunk a bit too much, I think," Sam said.

"You can't blame them, though," I said, leaning against the wall. "We didn't know leeches would turn up."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I know I can always trust you, though. It's good to have a right-hand man, you know?"

"I get you."

"Even though you should be leader… because it's in your ancestry," Sam said, wondering for the hundredth time whether I would want his position this time.

"Sam," I said. "Stop that. You should have the position. You know I don't want it."

"Sure, sure," Sam said. "I know. I just don't understand _why _you don't want to be leader!"

"Do I have to explain it again?" I said, feeling for once like I was the adult.

"I just wondered-" Sam began, before he stopped. "Look! There they are!"

And sure enough, they were walking across the car park from the door.

"The Porsche must be theirs," I said, "It's the only car left."

"Can we get nearer?" Sam said to himself. He calculated the distance between the vampires and us, and nodded to himself. He suddenly turned and picked up two bin bags from the floor behind us. He shoved one into my hands.

"What's that for?" I whispered.

"Look like you are tying it up to put in the bin," Sam said. "Not just hanging about watching them."

Sam sauntered forward innocently. I followed him, trying to restrain myself from whistling to myself. That would just be _too _innocent.

The vampires crossed the car park at a relaxed pace, the blonde male laughing with the bronze-haired male. The tiny female was almost skipping, and she almost looked like she was about to break into a dance she was so graceful. The brown-haired female was smiling to herself, lost in her thoughts. She was holding the hand of the bronze-haired male, and looked content. I could see her long shining hair from over here and longed to touch it. My hands balled into fists.

"Well the men are definitely vampires," Sam muttered so low the vampires wouldn't be able to hear. I had to lean closer to him to hear.

I tied the top of the bin bag, and spun it around to tighten it. Sam shuffled over and opened the lid of a large bin that stood against the wall. The vampires hadn't noticed us- they were too caught up in each other.

The little female danced towards the car and opened it with the press of a button. She didn't get in straight away, but turned towards the blonde man and smiled at him from under her eyelashes. She said something to him, which we couldn't hear, and he laughed. Then the other girl muttered something under her breath and all four burst out laughing.

"What do you think they are saying?" I whispered. Sam took the bin bag out of my hands, and turned to put it in the bin. On the way over, he tripped up and the bag went flying out of his hands. Its contents emptied onto the ground, but Sam smiled instead of looking annoyed.  
"You did that on purpose, right?" I said, not taking my eyes off the vampires. The blonde man and his mate were now kissing, pressed up against the side of the car.

"Of course I did," Sam said. "I just bought us some more time."

"Right," I said.

I could see Sam picking up the rubbish out of the corner of my eye, not bothering to be quick about it.

"You watch them," Sam said. "And I'll do this."

"Okay."

"What are they doing now?" Sam muttered.

"Well two are kissing still…" I said, "And the bronze haired one is now turning to the other female." I paused for a second, watching the bronze boy lean forward and tangle his hands in the brunette's hair. She laughed again, and put her hands on his chest. I could see her slip off his jacket subtly and she held it with one arm while the other travelled down to his waist.

"What are they doing now?" Sam asked.

I ignored him.

My eyes were fixed on the couple, and before I realized it, the blonde man and the dark-haired girl were in the car. She started up the car, and revved the engine.

"Get in!" I heard her shout, even though I was on the other side of the car park.

They ignored her and carried on kissing, pressed against the car door. The girl had one leg wrapped around the boy's hip, and the boy had both of his hands on the car window behind the girl's head. They looked like they were making out this hotly just for the benefit of annoying the two who were already inside the car.

"Come on!" the girl inside shouted again. The blonde man banged his hand on the car window.

"Edward!" the tiny woman shouted, honking three times on the horn.

"Aha!" I muttered. "A name."

Sam nodded from the floor. "Good, now we have something to go by."

The boy named Edward was kissing her more slowly now, while his hands ran through her hair. The brunette's small hands moved down his back, and she put her hands in the back pockets of his jeans.

Slowly, they stopped kissing, and the boy said something. He then took her hand and kissed her fingertips. I could see the paleness of her skin all the way on the other side of the car park. _She must be a vampire, _I thought, _that boy wouldn't be able to stay near her, never mind kiss her like that if she was human!_

"What are they doing?" Sam said, his body tense. My eyes followed them as they both got into the car.

"They are in the car now," I said. The rev of the engine was loud and there was a squeal of tires as the Porsche shot out of the car park. In about two seconds, it was out of sight down the road.

"They sure like to drive fast," Sam said, straightening up. He picked the rest of the rubbish up and dumped it in the skip. He then turned to me. "So?"

"What?" I said.

"What's the verdict?" Sam said, "Have they bitten a human or not? Was the girl a vampire?"

_What should I say? _I thought. _Tell the truth, and say that I was too occupied with watching the girl than checking to see if she was a vampire? That I was just like Jared, Embry, Paul and Quil, too drunk and immature to actually do the job I was asked to do?_

"She was a vampire," I said confidently.

Sam's eyes widened. "They broke the treaty!"

"Yeah," I said quietly, "I guess they did."

Already, I was starting to feel guilty. When Sam found out, he would sure be pissed with me. The next time I morphed into a werewolf, and then he would hear my thoughts and know that I had lied. I set myself a mental note not to change for as long as possible.

"We have to go and tell the others," Sam said, and flung open the door. I followed him into the empty hall. The few staff that were here apart from us had gone home now, leaving us to lock up. We were widely trusted, because we kept the peace in fights and (although the staff didn't know this, subconsciously they got a feeling of safety from us) we protected them.

"Sam?" Paul said. The rest of them came over, Jared with a bottle in his hand. He took a swig of the drink and dropped the empty bottle into the bin.

"Did you drink all that?" I asked him. "The whole bottle?"

He shrugged and hiccupped under his breath.

"Right. We have a problem, here," Sam said, choosing to ignore Jared's drinking habits for the moment. "Listen."

We all crowded around him.

"That brown-haired girl we saw earlier is a vampire, so that means the Cullens broke the treaty," Sam explained. "They bit a human."

Jared and Paul slapped a high five. I scowled at them.

"When do we attack?" Quil asked.

"Attack?"

"You know, kill them? They bit a human! That means the treaty doesn't count any more. We can destroy them all, and finally be rid of them."

"Hmmm," Sam said with a frown.

"We can't just let them get away with it!" Paul said, "They will just bite more people!"

"They broke the treaty," Embry agreed, "They deserve the punishment."

"Why don't we vote?" Quil said.

"Yeah, good idea," Jared said.

"Sam's the leader," I said. "It's his decision."

"No, no," Sam said, "Don't worry about it Jake. We can have a vote if they want."

"Who votes that we should attack them first thing tomorrow morning?" Quil said, and raised his hand. Paul and Jared's hands joined his. Embry thought for a moment, and after shooting me an apologetic glance, raised his hand too.

"Then it's settled," Sam said. "We attack tomorrow."

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**Oooh, what will happen next?**

**Tell me what you think!**

**Please review!  
I'm doing this thing… Well, I have three stories. And I thought I'd post a chapter in two of them today. The one that gets either the most reviews or the most helpful/nice reviews, will be the story that I write the next chapter for first. **

**That means you get to choose which story you get an update of next!  
SO REVIEW :D**


	12. Making Out By The Car

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but I was away without Internet… 

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! I wrote it at a request of a reviewer to know that Bella, Edward, Alice and Jasper were laughing at! So this shows that your reviews matter a lot to me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from my plot!**

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**Edward's POV**

"Come on Bella! Time to go home," Alice called, picking up Bella's coat. I took it from Alice had helped Bella into it. She grinned up at me, and my heart soared.

"Thanks Alice," Bella said, but she was looking at me. She took my hand and I squeezed her hand lightly.

"Hurry up Bella," Alice said. "We have to pack tonight. We're going away tomorrow morning, remember?"

"Shh," I muttered. "Don't speak so loud."

"Everyone else has gone!" Alice said. "There's no one to hear."

My eyes flicked around the room. Alice was right- all the guests had gone. But those boys that I had noticed at the bar earlier were still here. I read their minds just in case.

_Tidy up… tidy up he said! I hate tidying. When all the guests are gone, and the party is finished, people like me are stuck behind clearing up. This stinks!_

The rest of the thoughts of the other boys were a jumbled mess that didn't make any sense- I recognized the smell of alcohol all the way from the other side of the hall. _They wont be causing any damage, _I thought to myself. _We're safe. _

"Hurry up Edward," Alice said, chucking me my coat. I caught it in the hand that wasn't in Bella's and slung it on. Jasper and Alice were already out the door, so Bella and I followed. As we crossed the car park, I watched Bella from the corner of my eye. I couldn't believe how beautiful she looked tonight. Every day, in fact.

My eyes travelled down to her legs, long and creamy white. The short dress accentuated everything that was gorgeous about her. Bella sure looked hot like that!

"Thanks for taking me out tonight," Bella said, interrupting my thoughts.

I grinned to myself. "No problem."

"Thanks Alice," Bella called politely forward to Alice, who was dancing across the car park happily, humming under her breath.

Alice grinned back at her and winked. "It's not over yet! Edward is your slave for the whole night!"

"I almost forgot," Bella said with a grin.

"Make the most of it," Jasper said. "We wont be your slaves after tonight. As soon as morning comes, we'll be back to normal."

"Ah," Alice said, "But there are several hours until then."

"True," Jasper said grudgingly.

"I wonder what I'll make him do," Alice said and then laughed to herself. Her mind was suddenly filled with lots of images, which I didn't particularly want to share. I couldn't not hear. It was like she was shouting them at me.

"Alice…" I moaned.

She shook her head. "No. I want my fun!"

"You are _so _annoying," I just answered.

Bella squeezed my hand again.

I gritted my teeth and gave in to Alice's thoughts, because I couldn't block them out. I couldn't even hear what Jasper was thinking, because Alice was so loud.

"Brain overload, Edward?" Jasper said, watching me.

"Yeah," I said.

Alice danced forward and opened the car. She then turned and leant against the car, and looked up at Jasper from under her eyelashes. I noticed the expression on her face- it was like bambi eyes. I knew Jasper wouldn't be able to resist.

"Jasper," Alice said. "I want you to kiss me."

Jasper laughed loudly.

"Demanding little imp," Bella muttered under her breath.

I snorted and Alice looked offended. Her expression just made all of us laugh harder, and finally she joined in.

"That really wasn't very nice Bella," Alice said with a smile. "Come on then, Prince Charming. I asked for a kiss."

"I'll show you a kiss," Jasper muttered under his breath. He ran one hand down Alice's back, and cupped her face with the other hand. He leaned closer to her, and his lips brushed hers lightly before he drew away again. He leaned forward and nestled his head in the dent of her collarbone, drawing small circles on her skin with his tongue.

"Don't tease, Jasper," Alice whispered breathlessly.

Jasper leaned back again, and then kissed her properly. His hands travelled over her body softly, his fingertips like butterfly wings. His left hand stopped on her hip, and the right took the strap of her dress and slipped it down her shoulder.

Alice arched her back and pressed her body against Jasper's.

"I want a kiss too," Bella said softly from my left.

I turned to her with a half-smile on my face. Her heartbeat sped up, and I knew I was doing what she called 'dazzling' her.

"Edward," she moaned. "Don't keep me waiting."

I saw Alice turn her head to the side for a second out of the corner of my eye. "I bet you can't beat this, Edward," she muttered, talking about the kiss. She turned back to Jasper the next second and resumed being kissed.

"Is that a challenge?" I said. I could see Alice vaguely nod, before Jasper's head blocked my view.

"I'll be the judge of that," Bella said.  
"I'm sure you would be all too happy to," I said. "It's just whether I want to participate…" I teased, and Bella's face fell. "Joke, love," I whispered smoothly. I stepped closer to her, grinning as her heartbeat sped up, thudding erratically in her chest.

Her lips were soft and warm, and the heat that spread across her face warmed my fingertips. Then I moved my hands to her hair, running my fingers through it. It was as soft as goose down, and I could smell the strawberry shampoo she always used. I felt my jacket slip from my shoulders and realized Bella had taken it off.

"In a…" kiss, "Hurry to undress-" kiss, "Me?" I asked.

Bella laughed softly, taking quick breaths in between our kisses. She was gasping for air, but didn't let me stop. Her hands were on the back of my neck, holding me close to her.

"You have…" kiss, "To breathe, love," I muttered, gently forcing her head back so that she could gasp for air. She looked like a drowning woman- but the happiest drowning woman there could ever be. I smirked; I loved the effect I had on her.

"I wouldn't have to breathe if you just changed me," Bella muttered darkly.

"Don't be like that," I whispered in a low voice. Bella moaned, and pulled me closer again.

I felt Bella jump, crushing her lips against mine and seeming to mould our bodies so close together that we could never be separated- the car had rumbled against her back as Alice had started it. Alice revved the engine loudly and I cursed.

"Get in!" Alice called.

"Hmmh," I muttered to myself. I was about to pull away from Bella but she stopped me, winding her hands around my waist. I could feel every curve of her body against mine, and couldn't resist.

"Don't go," Bella whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, noticing the undercurrent of- how can I put it? - _animalness _in my own voice. _I have to restrain myself! I don't want to hurt her, _I thought, but Bella's lips on mine again pushed everything to the back of my mind. I was hyperaware of her as she hitched her leg around my hip- trapping me. I could have easily stopped her, but not without hurting her. I was at her mercy, but I didn't want to escape.

I had never felt like this before… never felt this _passion _coursing through my every vein. I could swear my heart had some feeling left in it, though it no longer beat inside my body. I snorted as I realized that Jasper would be able to feel my emotions, and was more amused by the fact that he didn't seem to be able to overthrow them with some other emotion, using his power. Either that, or he didn't want to get out of here as much as Alice did.

I could hear her honking on the horn now, but the loud noise did nothing to shatter what I was feeling at this moment. There was nothing but Bella and I in my mind. That was the extent of my world.

"Come _on!_" Alice yelled.

Jasper banged on the car window. They honked the horn a couple of times more.

"Edward!" Alice shouted, and my name was almost unrecognisable in the tone she was speaking in now. It came out as an angry scream.

I didn't even try to pull away now- Bella wouldn't let me, and I wouldn't let myself. I told you I was essentially a selfish creature, and I was being truthful. I was having too much fun now to stop!

"Don't stop," Bella whispered pointlessly. She knew I couldn't.

I moved one hand from against the car window and rested it on her hip. The next second, my hand was under her shirt and against her skin. I could feel her warmth against my cold skin. It made my fingertips tingle.

"You're cold," Bella moaned.

"Sorry," I said, taking my hand back at once in a lightning fast movement. It was so quick she didn't even see it, but the next thing she knew, the only thing she could feel was her shirt.

"Edward. I didn't mean stop."

I leant back from kissing her. But I was still only a centimetre from her. Her face fell at the loss of my lips against hers.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"Edward," Bella said again, her voice stronger now. I could still hear her even though Alice was still honking on the horn and Jasper was still knocking urgently on the car window. "I want to do this right."

"Right?"

"Just take it… slow," Bella said. She cupped my face in one hand and pulled me closer with the other. Her breathing was still quick, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"What about Alice and Jasper wanting to go?" I said, though this was a half-hearted excuse and I didn't really care much about them at the present moment. I couldn't let this moment with Bella slip away. I had forgotten completely about the bar boys and the Prophecy of the Blood Berries and the vampire 'Prince' who would damn the entire vampire race with his one true love. Right now, right here, it was only Bella and I.

"They can wait for now," Bella said, "I order you to kiss me once more. And you can't refuse, seeing as you're my slave." She grinned, knowing she had me around her little finger.

I leant forward, and with exaggerated slowness, kissed her tenderly.

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**Hope you liked it! Tell me what you think!**

**I'm off to have some Indian takeaway now! Its gonna be yummy :D**

**And this chapter is dedicated to all those people who review!**

**Love ya XX**

**CullenLove**


	13. Lovers Don't Keep Secrets

**Thank you for your continued reviews!**

**And I just wanted to add a quote from Eclipse, from one of my favourite parts of the book!**

**Edward- "Bella, drop the rock, please. Don't hurt yourself."**

**Or something like that. I wrote that from memory because I have been lending all my friends Eclipse! WE ARE THE ECLIPSE FAN-CLUB! COOKIES FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO JOIN :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. –sniff—**

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**Jasper's POV**

I looked sideways at Alice sitting in the driver's seat opposite me, and saw her hands on the steering wheel. She was gripping it hard in anger and I thought that it might snap if she applied any more pressure.

I leant across and put my hands over hers, meaning to pull them off the steering wheel… but instead was overcome by a massive wave of emotion… and ended up kissing her frantically.

"Jasper!" Alice scolded, trying to move her head away but I was too strong and my grip on her hands had them pinned to her sides. "Dammit Edward! You're driving Jasper crazy!"

I couldn't hear her words, could just see her beautiful full lips moving and longed to feel them on mine. I grabbed her face and turned her towards me.

"Jazz, come on!" Alice moaned, "I want to kiss you and everything, but I would prefer it when it's not in reaction to a wave of lusty emotion coming off Edward!"

I leant back with a massive effort and tore myself away from her.

"Sorry," I panted. I was still battling with myself to keep up the centimetre space between us.

Then Alice leaned across the gap and cupped my face with one hand. Mistake No.1.

I couldn't help myself any longer; I grabbed her hand and kissed it over and over. I used it to pull her towards me and tangled my hands in her hair. I knew I was being too rough, but couldn't stop myself.

"Jasper Whitlock!" Alice said sternly.

I ripped myself off her yet again. Hearing my old name spoken in that angry tone of voice had got through to me.

"I'm sorry," I moaned. "I can't help it."

"I know," Alice said softly. "It is rather annoying, though I can't help but be amused and glad to see that I turn you on that much." She giggled.

"Don't come too close," I whispered. I sat on my hands so that I wouldn't grab her, and stared forward through the window screen. The car was rumbling away under us, Alice had started it a while ago.

I groaned as another wave of _want _and _need _swept through me. I muttered a string of curses.

"I need to get out of here," I whined.

Alice jammed her hand onto the horn in response. I banged my fist over and over on the widow. Alice started to shout. My will was wearing thin. I banged my head repeatedly on the dashboard, trying to stop the feelings racing through me.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Edward and Bella got into the car.

"We can go now, Alice," Bella said sweetly.

Alice looked back in the rear-view mirror and shot Bella an icy look. Bella cringed back against the seat, and Edward growled.

"I would appreciate it," Alice said, "If, in future, you would…" then Alice coughed uncomfortably, "Do _that _in private."

"Why?" Edward asked with a frown.

"Because _that _is something not normally done in public."

"What are you saying we did?"

"What do you think I'm saying?" Alice replied harshly.

"Whatever you are trying to imply, I would like to inform you that _that _did not happen," Edward said frostily, putting his arms protectively around Bella. "We were just kissing."

"Then how come Jasper went crazy? He can normally stand people kissing in front of him."

"It must have been something they were thinking about," I said. I sent a wave of calm through the car, and everyone visibly relaxed. Bella leant back against Edward's chest like she was about to go to sleep.

"Yeah…" Alice mumbled. She paused for a few seconds and seemed to slowly gather her thoughts. "Sorry."

We drove in comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Bella spoke.

"So…" she said, "Rosalie and Emmett went to England."

"Yes."

"How long are they staying for?"

"Two weeks."

"…Cool."

More silence. Bella coughed. Edward worried about her health. Alice drove too fast. The conversation was slow… I sent out a wave of excitement.

"So you know we are going away tomorrow? I can't wait! But… oh my gosh! I haven't packed! It's going to be like a mad rush… but they are so exciting! I can't believe we are going away Edward! It's going to be so much fun!"

Bella was starting to sound like that cow that was always bothering Edward… what was her name… Jessica Stanley?

Edward growled, and I knew he had read my thoughts. I wiped them clean and started out the windscreen blankly as Bella rattled on.

Then Alice started to rattle on too.

"What am I going to _wear_? Oh I'll miss you so much Jazz! I'll be like crying every night! Well… not that bad, but I will be sad for a while! But it's going to be the best journey ever!"

Edward seemed to be the only one not affected by my wave of excitement. He was feeling worried at the moment. I wondered what about.

And then Alice's words registered in my brain.

_It's going to be the best journey ever… I'll miss you so much Jazz…_

"What?!" I said. "You're going away too, Alice?"

I grabbed her arm and unintentionally sent confusion racing through the car.

"Where are we?" Alice said, her face creasing up, "Which road to we take to get home?"

"I don't understand," Bella whimpered.

Edward looked like he was trying to fight the confusion. He was staring straight ahead and his eyes were a whirl of feelings. I could feel them hanging about the car like a cloud.

I struggled to keep my emotions in check and finally let go of the artificial web of emotion in the car. Everybody went back to normal. Or as normal as vampires can get.

"Yeah, Jasper," Alice said sadly. "I thought I told you that I was going too."

"Maybe it slipped my mind," I whispered.

Alice looked at me with a miserable look upon her face, like it was causing her physical pain to tell me that she was going.

"Bella, Carlisle, Edward and I are going," Alice explained, and every word felt like an apology.

"Why can't I come?" I said, trying hard not to sound like a needy child.

"I can't tell you, Jasper," Alice said softly, "Not yet. If you really love me, you'll let me go. We are only going to be a couple of days, and I'll tell you when we get back."

_Lovers don't keep secrets, _I thought.

But I nodded to Alice and looked away sadly, through the window. I watched the trees flash past and noticed we were on the drive to our house.

I felt Alice's hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. She paused, as if about to say something, but left it. I felt her hand fall from my shoulder back onto her lap.

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Yes, I know this was a short chapter! But I wanted to leave it at that ending for emphasis.

Because this was a short chapter, I will be posting soon. Review and it will be sooner!

CullenLove


	14. Forever Farewell

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Oh Stephenie Meyer, you genius, we bow down to you!**

**Enjoy this, guys! Don't forget to review!**

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**Edward's POV**

When we got inside the house, it seemed strangely empty. Emmett was one of the ones that made the most noise, and with him being in England, it was quiet. It felt like there was something missing with Emmett not being in the house to crack loud jokes, and Rosalie not complaining about loosing some item of clothing and accusing someone of stealing it. I missed them _both. _

Esme and Carlisle were huddled on the sofa, their arms around each other. Carlisle was resting his head on the top of Esme's, and they both had their eyes closed. I could hear Carlisle humming 'It's A Long Way To Tipperary', an old war song, and Esme was tapping her foot quietly along to the beat. When they heard us come into the house, they both opened their eyes. Carlisle greeted us with a smile and Esme with a warm 'hello'.

"Rosalie and Emmett forgot to say goodbye when they left," Alice said in a somewhat hurt voice.

"Yes," Esme said, "They wanted to apologise for that. They mixed up the day of the flight and realized half way through the day that they were supposed to be at the airport."  
"Don't tell me it was Emmett who booked the tickets!"

"It was him," Esme said. "And he got a good telling off from Rosalie for it. She apparently 'didn't have enough time to pack all her clothes'."

Jasper sniggered.

"I think you'd better pack, dear," Esme said to Bella. And then if sensing Jasper's unhappiness, Esme turned to him. "And you can stay at home with me while they are away. I have some household tasks I need help with. Remember when Bella knocked over that airing stand and scratched the door? Well you and I can go shopping and get some paint to re-do the door," Esme said, and then noticing the pitiful expression on Bella's face, added, "Of course, it wasn't your fault, Bella! We all do that some time in our lives."

Bella nodded, and couldn't help but smile back at Esme who was being her usual warm self. I pulled lightly on Bella's hand to lead her upstairs. She followed me up the stairs, and so did Alice and Jasper.

_I'll have to make it up to Jasper, _Alice thought, _maybe I could plan something special for when we come back. _

And then her thoughts started rushing with images. I guessed she was having a vision, as she had stopped on the stairs. Jasper was tugging at her hand until he realized what had happened, and picked her up. He took her into their room and closed the door with a wink to me.

_Yes, that is a good idea! _Alice thought finally, after the vision had finished, _He is going to love it!_

And then Jasper's thoughts made themselves heard. _Since Alice is leaving tomorrow, I wont have any alone time with her for a while. I'd better make up for her absence tonight!_

_Jasper is so gorgeous, _Alice thought, _I can't believe… _And then her thoughts started changing and I blocked them out. I could still feel the wave of love that Jasper was sending through the house in reaction to Alice.

"Will you help me pack?" Bella asked when we were safely in my room.

"Of course," I said smoothly. I handed her a bag, which Alice had brought for her when she realized we were going. Bella raised her eyebrows- recognising that it was not hers, but took it with a grateful smile.

"Remind me to thank her," Bella said as she started packing her bag with the things she had brought from the store earlier. I saw lots of packages in different colours going in, and a whole bunch of food that we had brought from the store before. Bella still had the tomatoes she had brought, and the candy that they, (meaning Alice, Bella and Rosalie) were going to force us, (meaning Jasper, Emmett and I) to eat. As far as I knew, Rosalie was the only one who had made her husband eat the candy. Bella had let me off.

_I need to thank her, _I thought to myself. I helped her pack, my vampire speed finishing the task in two minutes. When her bag was by the door, so she wouldn't forget it in the morning, I led her over to the sofa, pulling her onto my lap. Her heartbeat accelerated, which made me smile. She almost hyperventilated when I pressed my lips against her neck, and once more against her ear. She relaxed back, her body fitting against mine. I could fit her under my chin. I realized with another smile that in this position, we mirrored the way Carlisle and Esme had been sitting before. With a sense of déjà vu, I began to hum the tune Carlisle had been humming.

"Can you remember the war?" Bella whispered.

I stopped humming for a few seconds to answer, but was surprised when the tune didn't stop. Carlisle had taken it up again downstairs, and Jasper from his room. Their voices sounded harmonious and low, and calming. Within the next few seconds, Alice had started to hum too, her high soprano providing the perfect melody, and Esme joined in a few seconds later, the tune sounding beautiful in her soft voice.

"I remember my mother being worried that I was coming close to recruiting age, and I remember being eager to fight for my country," I whispered.

"Your mother didn't want you to fight?"

"No," I answered, "Though it was because of love. She didn't want me to suffer and maybe die, hundreds of miles away from my home."

"Alice told me that you died of the Spanish Influenza," Bella whispered, the horror evident in her voice.

"Alice was right," I answered. "The Spanish Influenza killed more people than died in the First World War. A fifth of the world's population was infected."

"That's terrible!"

"Yes," I said, wrapped in my own thoughts and memories.

Bella turned to look into my face. She leaned up to meet my lips, her warm ones eager as ever for physical contact. When I could bear her scent no longer without acting, I pulled back. She seemed upset, but understanding. She knew that I could hurt her so easily.  
"You don't know how glad I am that Carlisle bit you, and that you survived to be here with me," Bella whispered.

"You don't know how glad I am that I survived to be with you," I answered. And then I began to hum again, re-joining the melody.

**Bella's POV**

When I woke up, I was lying on the sofa in Edward's room. The sky was slightly dark still; the sun had obviously not yet risen. Edward was nowhere to be seen.

Alice came dancing into the room a few seconds after I had opened my eyes.

"Morning Bella," she chimed.

"Mornin' Alice," I said groggily, sitting up.

"Almost time to go," Alice said brightly.

"I don't wanna get up," I moaned.

The next second, Edward was in the room, beside me. I don't know how he got here so fast; it was like Alice had called him. She probably had, in her mind.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Edward whispered in my ear, his lips brushing my cheekbone.

I staggered up from the sofa and looked in the full-length mirror on one side of Edward's wall. My hair was sticking up in random places, and my clothes were creased and wrinkled from twisting and turning in the night.

"Sleeping _beauty?_" I said.

"That's what I said," Edward said, kissing my neck. "Breakfast time." And then he danced out of the room with a twinkle in his eye.

_He's in a good mood today, _I thought.

"You need some work," Alice said, looking me up and down.

"No way," I said. "I am getting myself dressed today."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"You _have_ to let me!"  
"I don't," I said pointedly. "My life is my own."

"Fine," Alice said, with a scowl, and then stormed out of the room.

Feeling slightly guilty and more than a little intimidated by Alice's behaviour, I showered quickly and got dressed. The rest of the family, minus Rosalie and Emmett, were in the living room when I got down. Edward was sitting beside the table, looking pleased with himself, and a steaming stack of pancakes were placed neatly on a plate in front of an empty setting.

"Here she is," Esme said. "Good morning, Bella dear."

"Morning everybody," I said. "Morning Edward," I whispered with a smile. He grinned back at me, making my heart race.

"I made you breakfast," he said, and pulled the chair back for me to sit in it. "And may I present, your glass of juice." He placed a crystal glass, which I didn't doubt had cost _loads, _in front of me. The glass was full of orange liquid. "I made it myself," he added.

"What, the glass?!" I said, turning it around in my hands.

"No, silly, the juice," Edward said, as if stating the obvious.

"Er… thanks," I said with a grin. So, pouring out a glass of juice counted as _making_ it these days? Odd.

"And he nearly broke the glass doing it," Jasper added with a impish grin, "And he virtually turned _thirty _oranges into piles of mush."

"You squeezed the juice out _yourself_?" I said. So, that was what he meant by making the juice!

"Yeah," Edward said, as if talking to an imbecile, in the same tone as before.

"You weren't very neat about it," Esme said, a slightly annoyed tone coming into her voice. "Made such a mess of the kitchen."

"Why did you make piles of mush of the oranges?" I asked.

Edward shuffled his feet, looking down at the floor.

"Well?" I prompted.

"I kept squeezing them too hard," Edward said. "It's hard to squeeze oranges when you have vampire strength. If you squeeze to hard, all the bits and pips end up in the glass too."  
"How long did it take you to make this, then?" I asked, thinking maybe at most it had taken him fifteen minutes, at tops.

"All night," he answered.

"WHAT?!" I said, jumping up from the seat.

"It took me all night," Edward repeated. Alice sniggered.

"You spent _twelve hours _squeezing out a glass of juice?"

"Well, yeah," Edward said smoothly, "I had to pour most of it down the drain at first because I was getting bits into the drink. That glass you have there, my dear Bella, is bit-free. I think you'll find there is not one pip and not even a smidge of bittiness in that heavenly drink."

I stared at him.

"Sheesh Bella, if it took that long, you'd better appreciate it," Jasper sniggered.

"So that was what you were doing in the kitchen, Edward," Alice said, "I heard moans and grunts and banging."

"Shut up, Alice," Edward snarled.

Alice just grinned and ran off.

"I need to see the kitchen," I said, leaving the table and marching through the room and towards the Cullen's beautiful modern kitchen. As I opened the door, I stared with absolute horror at the scene before me. The windows were steamed up, there was a trail of orange juice down one of the cabinets, the bin was overflowing, and in the sink, there was a little pile of orange peel. I walked slowly over to the sink and picked up the orange peel, and it ran through my fingers like sand. _How finely had he grated it?_ _And why hadn't he just peeled the oranges?_

"How _the hell _did you do this?" I said, my hands on my hips. With a shocked look on my face, I stared with wide eyes at the oranginess that was everywhere.

"I just peeled and peeled and peeled and peeled-" Edward started off, but I put my finger over his lips.

"I appreciate this, Edward, but don't go to such extreme lengths for me!"

Edward nodded solemnly. "I'll just clean it up, then," he said dejectedly, with such a sad expression on his face that it made me want to cry. I could feel the lump growing in my throat.

"Edward, please don't," I said, my bottom lip wobbling. "I'll cry soon."

"Oh Bella!" Edward said, his face snapping back to normal in a second. He engulfed me in a hug and grinned into my hair. "Silly Bella."

"Thank you for the orange juice," I whispered into his chest. I could feel his body shaking with laughter.

"BELLA!" Alice shouted from the dining room, completely spoiling the nice moment I was having in Edward's arms, "HURRY UP! WE NEED TO GO SOON!"

I sighed loudly, which I am sure she heard, and trudged into the kitchen. My outlook brightened when I remembered the pancakes.

"I'll stay in here and clean up," Edward called from the kitchen.  
"You'd better," Esme said fiercely.

Half an hour later, Carlisle, Alice, Edward and I were in the car. Carlisle's Mercedes, to be exact. Jasper and Esme were standing on the porch, waving goodbye. Esme was energetic with her waves, she was almost jumping up and down, but Jasper was just slumped against the doorframe. He had eyes only for Alice, and they were locked on her.

"Bye Jasper," I heard Alice whisper from the front seat. Carlisle was driving, and Edward and I were in the back. I saw Carlisle blow Esme a kiss, and thought, _they are such a cute couple!_

"I love you, Alice," Jasper mouthed to her, then turned and went back inside. The car was swept with sadness as we drove away from the house, looking back all the time.

**(Okay, I was going to finish it there, but here is a little bonus for you guys! From Jake's point of view!)**

**Jacob's POV**

The pack had gathered at my house this morning, and everyone was there. (A/N: All of the New Moon pack, there is no Leah or Seth). We were all looking bright and energetic because we had all been drinking Red Bull (it's a stimulant energy drink, not illegal), with the exception of Sam, Emby and I. The others had wanted to see what affect it had on their energy levels as werewolves. Sam had no idea about it, and I'm glad he didn't, because he wouldn't have approved. Today was an important mission, and we needed to be on our top levels of co-operation and teamwork.

I was still reluctant to change to my werewolf form, because the pack would be able to read my mind as a wolf, and know that I had no proof that the Cullens had bitten a human, that I had just said it to divert Sam's attention from the fact that I had been staring at the beautiful girl. I had decided not to change until the very last minute, when the pack was occupied with the fighting. And then I wouldn't even think of it, and they would never know.

"So, lets go over things," Sam said, with authority. "We attack to kill. No compromises, no nothing. Don't let those leeches interfere with our minds."

"Sure, sure!" We all said with a salute.

Sam went on as if he had not seen us. "We will turn into our wolf form when I say. Turn exactly when I say, and don't be immature. This is important, guys! Be serious. We have to protect our people, and those bloodsuckers broke the treaty."

"Right!" Jared barked, imitating an army officer.

Sam scowled. "And _no _sparing the females, just because they are beautiful."

I mentally cringed. That was one promise I couldn't keep. Not for the breathtaking brunette I had seen last night at the dance. But I joined the others in a high five, and we filed out of the house at a sprint.

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Thank for reading, once again!  
I have exams soon, so I wont be posting as often. I also have a dance exam, so wish me luck!

CullenLove


	15. Purple Clouds Are Gathering

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. **

**ENJOY THIS CHAPTER :D**

**Put the word 'Muffin' in your review if you read the author's notes!**

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**Bella's POV**

"What are you thinking about, Edward?" I asked him. He was sitting beside me, with an arm around my shoulders and my hand clasped in his.

"I am just thinking about… Victoria," he said.

"The author we're going to see?" I asked.

Edward nodded.

"Where are we staying?" I questioned Carlisle, who was driving. Well above the speed limit, I should add. I had expected him to drive under the speed limit, but he was driving as fast as Edward did. Maybe living with each other for decades had rubbed off on them both.

"In a hotel near the town Victoria lives in," Carlisle said. (A/N: I don't want to name the town, so just make up a place where it could be yourself).  
"And we're driving all the way there?"

"Yes," Carlisle answered. "But it will only take about a day to get there. We should be there by about midnight tonight."

"Do you have all your things?" Alice asked me.

"Yes," I said, "Edward helped me put them in the back of the car."

Alice put on some music and we listened to it silently for the next half hour. My mind drifted into thinking about the past, and then onto Renée and what she might be doing now. As I remembered that 'MISSING' poster in that shop Alice had taken me to, I stiffened in Edward's arms and my heart rate increased in fear. I squeezed my eyes shut and my fists balled up.

"What is it? What's wrong Bella?" Edward said urgently.

I couldn't answer him. I couldn't bring myself even to shake my head. But the rest of my body was shaking, and I started to hyperventilate.

"Bella! What's wrong?" Edward said, turning me to face him. He put his hand on my forehead to feel my temperature, and then his hand on my chest to feel my heart rate. "Bella, speak to me!"

"Say something!" Alice said.

"What's happening, Edward?" Carlisle asked from the driver's seat. He looked back in the mirror. "Unstrap her, and lay her down!"

I could feel Edward undo my seat belt and lay me across his lap. I buried my face in his shirt.

"No, no, no…" I whispered quickly to myself. _My mother can't take me back… I can't leave Edward. I can't go home. I won't be found- I won't be beaten and abused again! _

"Bella. Bella!" Edward said, turning me to face him.

I moaned loudly and then went limp.

"What happened to her?" I could hear someone say quietly, and then everything went silent.

**Edward's POV**

Bella woke up a half-minute after she had fainted. Carlisle had pulled over into a side road, but by the time he had got out of the car to look over Bella, she had woken up again. She told me that she had just been scared that her mother would come looking for her. I told her that everything would be okay- but I didn't know what to think inside.

Did the police now presume she was dead?  
How long did they look for missing people?  
Had anyone spotted her?

And on top of those worries, I had the ones about Victoria and Alice's vision where Victoria was waiting for us. Bella had fallen asleep in my arms, and I had relaxed back against the seat, but my mind was far from relaxed. Was it safe to visit Victoria?

_There, look, Bella is asleep. That's good. She should sleep- the trip will go faster for her_,Carlisle thought.

I smiled to myself. Carlisle was always thinking about other people. And Alice was thinking about Jasper, searching the future in her visions. She had seen a vision of us reaching Victoria, standing outside her house. But that was all.

Suddenly, Alice stiffened, and her mind quickly went blank. Then, all at once, it began rushing with hundreds of images and words.

_Future… fate…_

_Pain… ice in the veins…_

_Fire… scorching flames…_

_Burning, burning, burning…_

"Alice! What is it?" I said to her, but she didn't answer. She was obviously now having another vision, as I saw it play out in her mind.

_White stone, engulfed in red… Dark fur, their wedding bed. _

_Purple clouds will gather… _

And then, like the flick of a switch, Alice shuddered forward and hit the dashboard.

"NO!" she screamed, awake now.

"What is it?" Carlisle said, the strain evident in his voice. He took a hand off the steering wheel and grabbed Alice's arm, turning her to him. "Alice! What is it?"  
"JASPER!" she screamed. She undid her seat belt in a flash, and leant over to Carlisle and yanked on the steering wheel. The car spun around with a screaming of the brakes, and Bella jerked awake, fear in her eyes. Alice slammed her hand down on Carlisle's thigh, causing him to stamp on the accelerator.

"ALICE!" Carlisle said, "What is it?"

She didn't answer. Suddenly, she turned to look into the back. She exchanged a terrified glance with me, and then whipped around again. I had never seen her so scared. She grabbed the car door, and pulled it open. With a deep breath, she jumped out of the car, and onto the road. I could see her small form spin as the car raced away from her. And the last thing I saw before we turned a bend was Alice getting up, and shooting off like a bullet in the opposite direction.

"Edward!" Carlisle shouted, swerving the car back into the right lane. We were now speeding in the opposite direction from before, as Alice had turned the car around. "What was wrong with her?"  
"She was trying to turn the car around," I whispered with horror.

"She had a vision?"

"Yes," I whispered, "She had a vision!"

"Edward!" Carlisle said, "Tell me!"

"Crap, crap, crap. Fuck, no. This can't happen!" I said, ready to dive out of the car and run after Alice. But I had to keep myself together, for Bella. "Alice had a vision of our house up in flames."

"In _flames?_"

"Yes. She saw the house up in flames, and a cloud of purplish smoke."

"Smoke isn't purple," Carlisle said with a frown, "Unless… no… NO! ESME!"

Carlisle fishtailed the car into a side road and cut the engine. He was staring in horror back at me.

_Purple smoke… the colour it is when vampires are burning…_

"Esme and Jasper are in danger!" Carlisle said, "We have to go back! Tell me more about the vision!"

"Alice didn't see anything else," I said. "That means…"

Carlisle finished the sentence for me, "Werewolves!"

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Review!  
I will post faster then! 

And if you have time, and want to… try reading my other two stories:

I Don't Know You Any More

Pocket Pinups: Portraits of the Cullen Family

Thanks :P  
CullenLove

Ps. Thanks to those of you who sent me luck, I got 84 on my dance exam! Which means I got Honours! YAY


	16. Beautiful, Irrational Anger

**Okay, here is your new update! Sorry it wasn't sooner, I had exams (ugh). I think I failed Math… seriously, I do. English was okay, but that's like the only subject I'm good at!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters ******

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Carlisle's POV (Oooh, never done him before :D Hope you like him! I am currently in love with Carlisle So I hope I make him good)

"Smoke isn't purple," I said with a frown on my face. _What was Edward talking about? _"Unless… no…," horror filled me. "NO! ESME!"

My eyes went wide.

Esme, sweet Esme, at home. All alone… Jasper and Esme… my mate and my son!

I span the steering wheel and fishtailed the car into a side road. I cut the engine, and with in-human speed flung myself around to look at Edward.

_Purple smoke… the colour it is when vampires are burning…_

I couldn't let Alice vision come true. I wouldn't be able to live without Esme.

"Esme and Jasper are in danger!" I said, "We have to go back! Tell me more about the vision!"

"Alice didn't see anything else," Edward said. "That means…" And then his face mirrored the horror and fear I was feeling.

"Werewolves," I spat. Normally, I understood that werewolves were people just like Edward and I, but not when my mate was in danger. Esme means more to me than anything, and anyone who threatens her will face my anger. And I felt that anger coursing through me right now. Irrational, powerful, beautiful anger. I would go back, I would save my love, and I would tear the people who threatened her limb from limb.

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Oooh, angry Carlisle!

I know it is SO short, I will right the next chappie right now!  
I do have exams… take pity!  
Review and I will review faster and feel much better :D


	17. Paint Job

**Yes, I know the last chapter was way too short! And I am sorry!**

**I posted this one very soon after I posted Chapter 16, to make up for it!  
Sorry if I pissed you off :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own: **

**(In this chapter)**

**Angry Carlisle**

**Horrified Edward**

**Confused Bella**

**Shitting-herself Alice (lmao)**

**Happy/Sad emotional Jasper**

**Sweet Esme**

**Having-fun-in-England Rosalie and Emmett!**

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**Carlisle's POV**

"I have to go," I said, a wild look in my eyes.

Edward inclined his head. "What shall I do?" he said.

I had forgotten that he looked to me for advice and guidance. For once, I didn't know. So I just told him what I really felt. "Come with me," I whispered, "And lets teach them to threaten us. Lets repay them for even thinking of hurting Esme and Jasper."

Edward nodded once. He looked down at Bella with pity in his eyes. Then he looked up once more and spoke to me, "I'll drive back," Edward whispered. "As fast as I can. You run."

Edward was acting like me, I thought with a hint of bitter amusement. He held the role well.

I couldn't think straight… all I could feel was the anger running through me… insatiable, terrifying, and vengeful. I needed to feel their blood running over my hands… I needed to hurt them!

A small part of my mind told me I was being irrational and even inhumane- something I had worked so hard not to be- being a vampire, and all. But that small part was at once overruled when Esme's beautiful face came into my mind. I could feel my limbs clench… my hands became fists, and I flung myself out of the car.

"Careful, Carlisle!" I heard Edward shout after me, "Don't destroy what you have worked so hard for!"

What did he mean? My humanity?

I bolted off in the direction Alice had gone- towards home. I would reach Esme in time. I would save her. I would _tear _and _rip _and _burn_ the werewolves who had threatened her. And if they had hurt her, then I would follow her in death.

I heard the screech of tires as Edward sped after me, and quickened my pace. I ran, my fists pumping backwards and forwards, my dead heart racing. I could taste the venom in my mouth- and it tasted like sweet murder.

**Esme's POV**

"Jasper?" I said quietly. He was upstairs, in his and Alice's room. I didn't want to let him know, but I could hear quite sniffing from in there. To preserve his pride and manhood, I let him know I was coming to see him by calling his name.

The sniffing stopped. I could hear him clear his throat, embarrassed.

"Yeah?" he said uncaringly.

"Will you come and help me re-paint the door?" I asked gently from the bottom of the stairs. I could hear the banging of a door and Jasper appeared at the top of the stairs. In the split second before he made his face blank, I read the pain and sadness there. _He must be missing Alice_, I thought. _Or is it something more?_

Jasper came slowly down the stairs. As he got close to me, I took him by the shoulder and steered him so he was sitting on the sofa. Then I sat beside him.

"Is something wrong, Jasper?" I said. I didn't need to have his power to know the answer. But I also knew he wouldn't tell me just like that.

"No," he said, as I had predicted.

"Is it about Alice?" I asked, ignoring his 'no'. I knew there was a problem, and I was going to do my best to make him feel better. It hurt me to see him sad.

"Yes," Jasper said with a sigh, "It is about Alice." Then he paused, as if debating whether or not to tell me. He rose a centimetre from the chair, and looked at me, then sat back down.

"You'll feel better if you tell me," I said gently, rubbing his back. That seemed to relax him. He closed his eyes and began to speak.

"I miss her," Jasper said, "She didn't tell me where she was going, or even when she would be back. For all I know she could be off with some other guy—"

I interrupted, "Jasper, no! Alice loves—"

"Don't," Jasper said. "Don't tell me that. I know."

"She loves you as much as I love Carlisle," I whispered. "She would _never, _never, _never, _do that to you. She loves you too much. Don't even think that. Don't even get that into your head! It is a bad thought- and will only hurt you pointlessly," I paused for breath, "Alice _loves _you. You are married- you promised her you would stay with her through the bad times and the good. This could be one of the bad times, we don't know! Carlisle left me too, but I trust him completely. They know what they are doing, Jasper."

Jasper sighed again, but smiled. "You know, I was under the impression that you asked me to tell you _my _thoughts, Esme."

"Sorry," I said, looking down.

Jasper laughed quietly. "It's okay. But I want you to know this… I don't doubt Alice for one second. I know she loves me."

"Then what I just told you probably made a fool of myself," I said with a smile.

"Don't worry."

"I want you to know…" I said, "Just one more thing, I promise!"

Jasper nodded, trying to keep his laughter inside.

"I love all of my children," I said, "And I want you to know… that if you ever have any worries- anything at all, I will do my very, very best to make everything better for you. You don't only have Alice. You have the rest of us as well."

Jasper smiled again- and this time it was a real smile. "Thanks, Esme."

"No problem," I said, beaming at him. I held up the paint can and the two paintbrushes. "Ready now?"

"Sure," Jasper said, standing up and taking one of the paintbrushes off me, "Where do I paint first?" A mischievous look came into his eyes.

_Oh no, _I thought to myself, _he has a plan?_

"What are you thinking, Jasper? It better not be anything that ruins the décor of our home," I said. But, right now, I felt like I would put up and join in with anything he wanted to do. It was just us at home right now, so wouldn't it be fun to give the others a surprise for when they got back?

"I just thought it might be fun to re-paint, say… the whole house?"

"The _whole house_?" I said, not playing along with him just yet. "What's wrong with the walls I painted when we first got here?"  
"Nothing!" Jasper said, careful not to offend me, "I just feel like a change."

"Oh, all right," I said, exchanging a cheeky grin with him. Carlisle needed some spice in his life. I could give it to him!

"We'll need some more paint," Jasper said.

"Oh, I have enough," I said with a wink. I led him into the pantry where row upon row of paint cans and rolls of wallpaper lay.

"What is all this for?!"

"Just in case I got sick of the walls we have," I said.

"You are a genius, Esme," Jasper said. "I have the perfect idea for Alice's and my room."

"I'll start with Carlisle's and my room then," I said, with a salute.

Jasper picked up armfuls of paint cans and jogged up the stairs. I could feel the waves of eagerness and excitement that he was sending through the house. I smiled; he hadn't been this happy for a long while.

**Alice's POV  
**

_**No, no**__**, no, **_I repeated to myself as I sprinted as fast as I could. '_**No, no, no,'**_became the beat to the thoughts running through my head.

_**Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, **_became my background vocals.

His dazzling smile… his electric-charge-like touch… his lips- cold and perfect and marble… persuasive, joyful, enthusiastic, admiring, full of love- his emotions! Happy, dazzled, overwhelmed- my emotions!- became my lyrics. 

All our memories…

I wouldn't let a bunch of _werewolves- _and I detested the word- break us. Nothing would pull us apart. 

My feet quickened.

I knew Edward had seen the vision in my mind, and I hoped- to the God I hadn't believed in before now- that he was coming.

Jasper… A small whine escaped my lips.

Esme too! Selfless, innocent Esme!

How could anyone hurt her?

And '_why?_' was another question mark in my mind. Why would the werewolves attack? Hadn't we made a treaty with them?

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I hate exams… I bet if I started a petition to absolve exams and homework there would be only about four children in the ENTIRE WORLD who wouldn't sign it…

Review please! Share the Love

CullenLOVE (remember, love??)


	18. Out With The Old

**I had to post this chapter today, to save wingedspirit's sanity! I couldn't let her loose it!  
I hope you enjoy it :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters **

**Ps. The next chapter will be the fight scene, so don't worry. And I will be writing it THIS WEEKEND :D**

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**Jasper's POV**

I lifted the lid of the paint can and set it on the floor. I had picked red- the colour of love- for Alice's and my bedroom. I stuck the paintbrush into the can, and careful not to get any on my skin- because paint wouldn't come off the marble-like skin a vampire had- painted a streak down the wall, on top of the cream paint that was already on the wall. Using my vampire speed, which probably made me look like a red and white blur around the room, painted over all of the cream paint and stood back to admire my handiwork.

A bit of a perfectionist, I checked once more around the room to see that I hadn't left any cream paint showing. I hadn't. I laugh escaped my lips as I imagined Alice's reaction to the radical change the room was going to have. I just hoped she liked it.

I dragged the bed from its position in the corner of the room to right in the middle, and arranged the pillows neatly. I rustled around in the bed drawers, and found a red duvet and sheets. Then I put them on. These were Alice's favourite sheets, our wedding-night sheets, and the sheets on which we had first loved each other. I hoped the significance they had would bring a smile to her perfect lips.

Next, I put away the red paint and paintbrush, and took out black paint and a thin paintbrush. In sixties style, with big sweeping motions, I painted the outline of a man and a woman on the wall. It was just from their shoulders upwards, and with a smile, I painted in the short, spiky hair on the woman and the messy hair on the man. The man had the woman's hand pressed to his lips, and a small smile curved the edges of her beautifully sculpted lips up.

I sighed as I stood back; the picture looked so much like her that it made my heart twinge with loneliness. I heard a knock on the door, and Esme came into the room. She jumped with surprise when she saw the difference to the room, then gasped when she saw my artwork.

"Oh, Jasper!" she said, with a hand over her heart, "That's so beautiful!"

She came closer, and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. Rather unnecessarily, she added, "It's you and Alice!"

"Yes," I whispered.

"She is going to _love _you when she sees that," Esme said, "She'll be wanting to lie on the bed and stare at it all night!"

"I hope she can take her eyes off it to look at me," I smiled.

"Oh, the real thing is much more beautiful," Esme said with a faint smile on her lips. "Beauty comes from the heart."

She stared with a slightly open mouth for a few more seconds, and then tore her gaze away from the wall to look at me.

"Come and see what I've done!" she said.

I followed her down the corridor into the room she and Carlisle shared. Esme pushed open the door with a child-like, proud-of-herself look on her face. She looked so sweet and innocent, it made me want to hug her. She surely was the kindest woman on the planet, second after Alice.

The room had been painted a deep midnight blue, with indigo curtains to match. The cupboard doors had little printed black lettering on the doors, which said what was inside. For example, the bottom drawer on the right side said 'Carlisle's socks'.

Esme had even changed her clothes so she was wearing dark blue slacks, and a deep purple blouse. The deep colours contrasted perfectly with the crisp whiteness of her skin.

"So what do you think?" she pressed.

I walked over to the cupboards, reading the labels. "A nice touch…" I muttered. _Carlisle's work shirts, Carlisle's underwear, Esme's trousers, Esme's hair bands. _"Esme's hair bands?" I read.

"I have quite a few," Esme said with a somewhat guilty tone to her voice, "You might call it a fetish."  
"A hair band fetish?" I said, holding back laughter.

"They are just something I like to indulge myself with," Esme added.

I frowned. _How many did she have?_ I yanked the door of the drawer open and immediately my jaw dropped. _HOW MANY did she HAVE?!_

"What the hell?" I exclaimed.

"Language!" Esme reprimanded, her hands on her hips.

"Bloody hell," I whispered, even quieter. I don't think she heard.

There were row upon row of hair bands, all stacked neatly on top and beside each other. There were hair bands of every colour imaginable, of every pattern you could have ever wanted- bows and stripes and polka-dot ones, ones with stars on, red ones, blue ones, _brown_ ones, _yellow _ones…

_Oh my god… _I thought to myself.

"It looks like a rainbow exploded in there!" I said. _Esme was worse than Alice and her obsession with clothes! What is it with women? They all love something to an absolute extreme! Rosalie has shoes, Alice has clothes in general, and Esme… well, I wouldn't have thought this of her! Hair bands!_

"Why do you have so many?" I said, "I've never seen you wear any of these!"  
"Oh, I don't wear them!" Esme said, with an are-you-stupid?- look on her face. "I might break them. I just like to look at them." (A/N: OOC Esme I know… I just REALLY had an urge to make Esme have an obsession… :P)

"I can't wait until the others come home and see the rooms!" Esme said.

"Do you have any idea when they will get back?" I asked, the hair bands forgotten almost immediately. _Almost _being the key word there. In the back of my mind, I couldn't get '_Esme is a psycho hair-band-lover' _out of my head.

"No," Esme said, "No idea."

"Shame…"

"Why don't we decorate downstairs?" Esme said.

Just as we turned for the door of the room, there was a massive crash from downstairs. It sounded like the front door had been torn off. "Oh!" Esme said, "Someone must be at the door!"

_Shit, _I thought, _that shocked the hell out of me. _

"I'll just go and get the door!" Esme said, hurrying out of the room.

_I don't think there is any door left… _I thought, as I ran after her. An irrational feeling of fear swept through me. Something felt wrong.

"Esme!" I shouted, "Wait!"

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I know some of the characters have been OOC recently, but I am trying to illustrate how they would feel in extreme stress or anger. And just because we have never seen Carlisle angry in Stephenie Meyer's books, doesn't mean he can't get angry! We all do!

I have just failed my Math exam, so I'm a bit down at the moment. I couldn't even stand to stay in school for a moment longer… coz everyone else was like "YAY! We got such great marks!" and everyone was cheering…  I felt so incompetent… so I got out of there.

So as you can probably tell, a review would mean a lot to me. Your collective effort would pull me out of my pit of despair!

Bisous (French exam tomorrow)

CullenLove


	19. Add Assault to Insult

**Here is the next chapter! I lovingly wrote it for you tonight, so soon after my last post, because I am such a nice person   
And another thing is that the story is getting tense and action-y and I don't want people to loose their sanity waiting!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. But prepare yourself for a bit of an emotional shock in this chapter!**

**Ps. If you really love me, you will look up 'Elliot Minor' on Google or iTunes or YouTube and you will listen to their music!**

**Please, if you have a heart, listen to 'The White One Is Evil' while you read this! **

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**Jasper's POV**

I had just rushed after Esme and grabbed her shoulder when we reached the top of the stairs.

"Something feels wrong, Esme," I said, facing her. She wasn't looking at me- she was staring with wide eyes down the stairs. Her emotions were stuck in a rut of fear, confusion and anger.

I wondered if my own emotions were making her feel like this and sent the biggest wave of calm I had ever sent at anyone at her. She finally turned her head and looked up at me, with the strangest expression on her face. And then she started to choke.

"Esme!" I shouted, grabbing her shoulders to hold her up. Her eyes had rolled back into her head and she was coughing loudly, the whites of her eyes showing. "ESME!" I shouted, bending down to her level and shaking her lightly. Her head flopped limply forward.

I could hear crashing noises from downstairs, but couldn't tear my eyes away from sweet Esme, who was gasping for the air she didn't need.  
"Stop breathing!" I said to her, "You don't need to breathe!" Something was going wrong with her breathing and it looking like it was making her choke on air.

She shuddered once. Then she lifted a trembling finger and beckoned me to lean closer. I obliged. And then a single word slipped from her lips, as if it was a confession, and just like liquid.

"Berries…" she whispered. I wondered if I'd heard right, but she whispered the same thing again.

"Berries?" I whispered back at her.

She nodded once, and then some sort of energy swept back into her limbs and she stood up once more.

Just at that second, an object flew past my head, only an inch away, and embedded itself in the wall. How had someone been so strong as to throw something so hard as that? It could only be a vampire! Or…

"What _is _making that noise?" Esme said, turning back to look down the stairs as if the episode of the last minute had never happened. I couldn't understand it. Why had she just gone so shaky and weak? Did she really just whisper 'berries'? What have berries got to do with anything?

"Who are they?" Esme said, her voice strong, but the tremble in the last word gave her away.

I followed her gaze to look down the stairs.

There were two boys standing naked in the hallway, with splintered wood showered around them like confetti. One looked to be little more than sixteen, the other looked to be almost a man. The younger one had a piece of wood in his hand and was tearing splinters away from it forcefully, an sharp, burning look of hatred on his face. His hair was dark, and long, and he had dark russet skin.

The older one looked experienced somehow, and was standing there with so much confidence that it unnerved me. And then I felt his emotions, and staggered back. The fierce animal-like anger that swept over me from him took over my senses and I dropped into a crouch, my fists balled up. I felt a growl like a rusty saw burst its way up from my throat. I sounded like a lion- like _Edward- _and it only made me angrier to remember the way he, Bella, Carlisle and Alice had gone, and left Esme and I at home.

And then I _smelt _them, and knew at once what they were. And I couldn't control my anger.

"How _dare _you break the treaty and come here without permission?" I whispered, knowing they would hear. My voice was so low and menacing that even Esme took a step away from me. "How _dare _you break down my door?"

I pushed Esme behind me rather forcefully, to protect her. She peeped out from behind my shoulder, a look of sharp ferocity on her face. _Battle anger, _I thought.

"I asked you a question!" I bellowed, my voice loosing the alarming calmness it had before, and turning into fire that burst from my cold lips like a curse.

The older man stepped forward, and beckoned once with his hand behind him. Immediately, four other boys about the same age filed into the room, military style. One of them growled at me, his eyes flashing. I responded by turning to face the wall, and punching it so hard that my fist went straight through the wood and plaster.

A show of strength.

"I can do much worse than that," I warned, gesturing behind me at the wall. "That was nothing. I didn't even have to use force."

"Arrogance does not impress me," the oldest man said, because I knew that was what they were. I recognised him by his overpowering musty smell to be the alpha male. It made my stomach sick.

"Get out of my house and don't ever come back," I icily, and growled out a challenge.

"You think one vampire can kill six werewolves?" the leader mocked. The rest of the boys laughed maddeningly, and I felt my temper boiling.

"I am not alone."

"Oh yes," one of the other boys said, "You have a female too. But she won't be much use! Way too small."

"She'll be easy to kill."  
"The first one to pick off."

"Useless bloodsucker."

Gibes against myself I could take… but against Esme? No. My self-control was not strong enough for that.

Everything turned red.

I jumped down the stairs in one leap, landing like a cat, four-legged on the floor. I reminded myself of a feline animal, a wild vampire… out of control and deadly.

I rushed at the first werewolf and picked him up in one swipe, throwing him as hard as I could away from myself. He hit the hall and landed in a shower of glass from the broken window. Sliding down the wall, and leaving a trail of blood, he slumped onto the ground, still.

"Who's next?" I spat, turning back to face the others.

The first thing I noticed was the shaking- their forms were blurring and vibrating as fast as a hummingbird's wings. They were growing bigger, sprouting fur, claws, sharp teeth for tearing flesh… _muscles. _

One screamed out in agony as he changed, his eyes momentarily flashing between brown, and dark, wolfish orange. His fur was of the deepest black, his claws steel white.

In under ten seconds, the five boys had become wolves, each bigger than the last, each stronger, each with a thirst for revenge. And they were standing a mere metre from me.

Their combined emotions tore through me as physical pain, and I screamed out, each word fire that tore at my throat. My limbs were shaking, as theirs had been a few seconds before, and the strong barrier that held my consciousness together shattered like glass.

**Esme's POV**

When Jasper fell to the ground, motionless, I lost it too. One second I had been standing, restrained behind his arms at the top of the stairs, the next he was screaming in pain and my heart was tearing apart. I didn't spare a glance for the motionless werewolf that Jasper had thrown into the wall, because _he deserved it. _I felt wicked even thinking it, but it was true. How did he _dare _to break into my house and insult and assault my son? I would _not _put up with that behaviour from anyone.

I bellowed in anger- my voice scaring even myself- and rushed towards Jasper. I picked him up with little difficulty and dodged away from the teeth that were snapping at my neck. I lay him down at the top of the stairs, and was about to bend down to look at him, when I felt myself being lifted up and thrown across the room. My head hit a mirror, which shattered into a thousand pieces, littering the room with yet more debris. I hit the ground with a crash and crushed the coffee table, but sprung back up and snapped at the neck of the werewolf next to me. My teeth sunk into his neck- his boiling blood filling my mouth with an unbearably bitter taste that made me gag.

He bellowed out in pain, sinking to the ground. His hands were scrabbling at his neck, the blood pumping out like some sort of garden hose. I heard another roar from the rest of the werewolves, now at the top of the stairs where I had left Jasper. He wasn't moving at all, his alabaster skin as still as a corpse.

I saw their claws a millimetre away from his body, and acted. I ran so fast it looked like I flew, and tore my way through the crowd of werewolves. I felt their claws screech over my skin and make trenches in my stomach. I couldn't feel pain- I felt nothing but blinding anger- and attacked. The russet wolf was fast, but not as fast as me. I grabbed him by the neck and pulled him towards me, and was met with a resounding crack that echoed throughout the room. He yelped in pain, dropping.

Which cleared the path for the other werewolves, who snapped and tore at me like I was some sort of puppet rag doll. I felt chunks of my body being ripped off, and the noise was like nails being dragged down a blackboard- a series of screeching snaps. I screamed, then fell.

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Please don't hate me! I love Esme too!  
Any questions, any at all, and ask in a review!  
Tell me what you want to happen!

CullenLove

Ps. DO NOT WORRY, ESME DOES NOT DIE!

(I love her too much to kill her)

Will Carlisle reach her in time to save her?

What will become of Alice's vision?


	20. Desire and the Fight

**I wrote this on Saturday night… freezing my butt off in the middle of the countryside!**

**I hope you like it!  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters **

**OOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOO**

**Carlisle's POV**

I could see Alice's small form ahead of me as I tore up our drive. Somehow, I had managed to catch up to her. She noticed me, and slowed down, so I came alongside her. She knew we had more chance against those werewolves if we were together.

"What do we do?" she said, her voice trembling. I could see her body almost vibrating with the desire to run inside and fight, but she made the effort to stand there because we needed a plan.

"You get Jasper and Esme, I'll hold off the werewolves for as long as possible," I answered quickly.

Alice's face went blank, wiped of emotion- she was having a vision.

"Edward will be here in five minutes," she said, then turned and bolted into the house, me on her heels.

**Bella's POV**

I felt shocked and scared, and confused overall. My mind was a myriad of emotions.

I looked sideways through my lashes at Edward, who was driving. His sleeve was pushed up to the elbow on the arm that steered the wheel, and I could see the pattern of his purplish veins through the alabaster skin.

"You don't have any blood in you, do you?" I whispered.

"Only a little," Edward replied. "More after I hunt."

Then he went silent, and I watched him, his eyes fixed on the road. Breaking all the speed limits, he drove so fast. I knew that if I looked out the window I would be sick, so I looked at him instead. He was perfect from his tousled bonze hair down to his stylish trainers.

My eyes travelled from his hair down to his cheekbones, and across his cheeks to his golden eyes. They were clouded now, burning with anger and stress. I reached towards him and ran my fingertips down his cheek. He sighed deeply, leaning into my touch.

A smile graced his lips, lightening his face until he looked like an angel. _My angel. _

And then I felt a feeling I'd never felt before, starting in my stomach and sweeping through me in a wave. My thighs became warm, my body tingling. I looked away embarrassed, out the window. _I wanted Edward… I needed him. _

"Bella?" Edward asked, looking at me.

I stared into my lap. Every cell of my body screamed out for physical contact with him, to feel those white hands exploring my body, to feel his cool skin on mine.

His voice was soft and pleading, "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing," I said, the telling blush creeping up my cheeks.

Edward smiled wider and cupped my face in a hand, feeling the warmth of my blood burning under his hand. I could feel the pulse of my blood pumping in my temples, my lips, and my chest. My lips were throbbing to feel his.

Edward grabbed my chin and turned me so I could do nothing but look at him. My gaze locked with his, and I stared into the smouldering godliness of his eyes. They were pure gold- melting me.

Edward's hand travelled from my chin down my neck, stroking me lightly with the back of his hand. I moaned quietly in longing, so softly I'm not sure if he heard.

He drew back the next second, and put his hand back on the wheel. He was silent for a few seconds, but then an impish smile broke across his face.

"So that's it," he muttered to himself.

"What?" I asked, deeply suspicious.

"I know what's wrong," he said, his eyes twinkling.

_Oh no, _I thought. I stayed silent until he spoke again.

"You _want _me," he said, a smile in his voice, "You feel a desire—"

"Edward!" I cut him off, "Is that really a topic for a time like this?"

"—A wish, craving, _longing_—" he carried on.

"Stop it!" I said, pulling away from him and looking at my shoes. I could feel my cheeks burning with blush.

Edward was silent for a few seconds more. When his spoke again, his voice was low and velvety. "It's alright, Bella," he whispered. "I want you too."

I turned slowly to look at him. His eyes were begging my forgiveness, burning with passion. My heart skipped a beat.

"Bella," Edward said, "I love you."

My breath caught in my throat, and escaped through my parted lips in a _whoosh_.

"But," I said quietly, my voice no louder than a whisper, "Well, if that's true… then, uh, would it be, you know, _possible, _to do… _that_?"

Edward looked back at the road, his expression thoughtful. "I don't know," he whispered. "I don't know the limits of my self control."

"But… couldn't we…" I trailed off.

"Couldn't we…?" Edward pressed.

"You know, try?" I said timidly, worried about what reaction he would have.

He closed his eyes for a brief second, opening them just before I shouted at him to watch the road or we would crash.

"You don't know how much I want to…" he started in a pained voice, but his tone made me think he would say 'no'.

"Please," I said, leaning closer to him. My eyelashes fluttered.

He turned to look at me. _Big mistake. _Once he looked into my puppy dog eyes, he couldn't resist. And didn't want to.

"Yes," he said breathlessly. "Yes."

"We can try?"

"Yes," he whispered again.

I kissed him lightly on the cheek and he turned back to the road, slamming on the accelerator so that we could reach the house faster.

**Carlisle's POV**

As soon as I heard her scream, my mind stopped and horror filled my heart.

_Esme, Esme, ESME!_

I heard the grating, screeching sound that filled the lawn and my legs went into auto-drive. I felt myself shoot across the path and straight through the open door to our house.

The first thing I saw was the young boy who looked about fifteen who was propped against the wall, lying in a pool of his own blood. I could see a shard of glass stuck in the back of his head.

I took in the scene before me in a millisecond- the werewolves at the top of the stairs, Jasper immobile on the landing, Alice tearing up the stairs towards them, and Esme.

"ESME!" I yelled, bolting after Alice.

The werewolves froze and turned to look at us. Their piggy eyes widened in shock, which switched to anger after a second. My emotion to match theirs crashed through me a second later, and I leapt forward, snarling.

As one, they attacked, forcing me backwards. I snapped at their necks, missing by a mere inch as they twisted to avoid me. I felt one lunge forward to grab at my leg, but I jumped, landing behind him. I yanked his arm behind him and in a sickening snapping noise it broke, splattering blood everywhere. I could hear Alice screaming behind me, dragging Jasper and Esme away, towards the door. I could hear my name being screamed over and over again, and recognized the pain-filled voice to be my mate's.

Anger barrelled through me, and I head butted the werewolf closest to me, sending him flying backwards over the banister. He landed at the bottom of the stairs, right behind Alice, and sprung forward.

"ALICE!" I screamed, and at she twisted round with a yell. Jumping forward, she latched onto the back of the werewolf, and began slamming her fists as hard as she could on his head, while the werewolf twisted and turned, trying to buck her off.

My eyes swept the room… there was the werewolf, still in boy form, a shard of glass in the back of his head. There was another wolf that had been bitten in the neck, and he was bellowing in pain, his body twisting and squirming on the ground. There was Alice and the werewolf she was fighting right now. There was the russet wolf that had collapsed right in front of my feet. His neck was at an odd angle, like it had been snapped. And there were the two wolves in front of me.

With an animal roar, they leapt forward, the largest catching me between his paws. We flew through the air, and slammed into the ground. I tried to get up straight away, but the combined weight of two werewolves on top of me was too heavy. One had his paw jammed between my shoulder blades, the other paw pressing my face into Esme's carpet. I snarled and twisted, but the pressure on my back kept me pressed against the floor. Reaching behind me with an arm, I swiped in any direction I could reach. One of the werewolves emitted a cough-like bark, which sounded like laughter. And then they shared a look, which silently said, finish him off!

I looked out of the corner of my eye, madly searching for some way of escape. I could see Alice still in combat with the other werewolf, and then my eyes travelled right. I could see Jasper's body, and my eyes fell finally on Esme. I groaned as I saw her motionless, one-armed, one eared, and with half of her left leg torn off. Her top was shredded, and I could see the cotton of her bra showing, and the deep trenches in her stomach where the werewolves had torn pieces out of her. I screamed her name- once, twice.

Suddenly, she rolled over, and slumped against the ground. Her body was twitching, like it needed the other pieces to function normally. I caught her gaze, and she screamed my name. Then, slowly and surely, she began to drag herself across the floor towards me.

I beckoned with my eyes- No, no! Don't come! Get away now! Save yourself!

But she ignored me, sliding forward slowly. Her face was contorted in pain, and ever so often, she would let out a low moan.

I heard a bellow from above me, and twisted my head to try and look up. Then I felt a massive blow to the back of my head- they were going to kill me!

"NO!" I bellowed. I couldn't save Esme dead!

I thrashed about on the floor, but with another coughing bark, they pressed me harder against the ground. I could hear the floorboards beginning to crack. My fist made contact with fur, and with a yelp, one of the weights holding me went. I struggled to get up, but the werewolf growled and grabbed my arm, pulling it behind me and pinning it against my back. I struggled again, and a piercing screeching filled my ears. I felt my arm being torn from my body, and screamed at the loss of it.

And then I heard a massive bang, and heard a whistle as a massive piece of furniture- I recognized it as the sofa- flew over my head. It collided with the werewolf on top of me, and threw him off me. I looked up, and saw a silhouette framed in the light from the doorway. My body shook with relief- it was Edward.

I jumped up, and ran towards Esme, picking her and her body parts up and racing towards Edward. I swept my arm off the floor, and hauled Jasper into my arms too.

"Thank you," I whispered to Edward.

He nodded. "Take Esme and Jasper and get out of here," he ordered. I was about to protest, but the look he gave me silenced me. "Bella is in the car. Take that and drive away as fast as you can. I'll ring you when it's safe."

And with that, he turned towards Alice and the remaining three werewolves who were still in fighting state.

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What a long chapter! I hope you guys are chuffed!  
Review and tell me what you think ;-)

I'm writing the next chapter right away XD

CullenLove

Ps. Tell me in a review if you want anyone to die! (And who!)


	21. Just One Kiss And They Will Leave

**I'm an angel- posting so fast!  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, as I say every chapter… **

**OOOOOooooooooOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOO**

**Edward's POV**

"Why did they attack, Alice?" I questioned Alice.

She jumped out of the way of the werewolf she was fighting, towards me. She slammed into my back, and we were thrown forwards. I managed to keep my balance, and stop her from falling.

"I'll cover your back," Alice said. "Come on, attack!"

"Wait!" I called. This was wrong. Why had the wolves attacked? They must have had a reason to break the treaty!

"What is it, Edward?" Alice snapped, anger in her voice.

A werewolf rushed towards me, and I reached behind myself to pin Alice to my back. Then I jumped, carrying us both out of the path of the werewolf. I let go of her as soon as we had landed.

"STOP!" I yelled, at what I knew was the leader of the pack. The other two wolves froze, and turned to look at their leader for direction.  
"I demand you tell me the reason you attacked!" I said, my voice strong.

The room froze, Alice and I in fighting crouches, the werewolves drawn up to their full height. I could tell they were communicating through their minds, I could hear it in my mind.

_Sam? _One thought. _What do we do? Stop attacking?_

_We can kill them if we work in a group, _the other thought.

_No, _Sam thought back to them, _We don't kill them. The bloodsucker wants to know our reasons, so we'll tell him them!_

_You want us to turn back into humans?  
Yes. _

_It could be a trap! The mind-reader leech just wants us human so he can kill us easier!_

_I am the leader, and I say we turn back!_

_I won't do it, _one thought rebelliously.

_If you do not obey the alpha, _the other thought, _you are at the mercy of the pack! We will tear you apart. Your first loyalty should be to the pack, not to fighting!_

_There is no pack left!_

_Only one is dead for sure, _the alpha thought, _Paul. But look- Jacob lives! Can't you hear his screams?_

_And Quil, how dare the female bite him? _

_We tore her apart!  
No, she lives also. The blonde leech made away with the blonde male and the female, _Sam thought.

_And his arm? _One laughed to himself.

_Yes, he took his arm. Now turn back!_

With a growl, the three wolves once more became men. The youngest boy was sulking, his arms crossed. I read from his mind that his name was Jared. He was the one Alice had been fighting. His naked body was covered in bruises and scrapes, and blood was running down from his chest, down his stomach and down his legs.

The other male, who had been loyal to the alpha, was called Embry. His face was contorted in pain- his arm had been broken by Carlisle. You could see the bone poking against his skin, shattered.

He dropped to the ground suddenly, screaming. He couldn't bear the pain as a human as well as he could as a wolf.

The leader was unscratched, and stood proudly. He shot a sympathetic look at Embry, before turning to face me.

His voice was hard and gruff and low- very wolfish. "We attacked because you broke the treaty."

I didn't bother asking when we had broken the treaty; I just listened to his thoughts.

_Biting a human. That is a violation of our treaty!_

"Biting a human?" I said out loud, a frown on my face.

I heard a scraping growl come from beside me- it was Alice. "We never bit a human," she snapped, "He lies!"

_The female that can see the future, hmm? That must be how the rest of the coven of vampires got back so fast. I'd never realized that only half of them were here. There are two missing, even now!  
_"The other two are in England, on vacation," I explained, for some reason answering the question in his mind.

_You see now why we attacked? One of the conditions of the treaty was that you would not bite or harm a single human. And you bit one!_

"Who gave you that information?" I said, "I assure you, it is false."

"One of my pack," Sam said.

"Which?"

"Jacob said he saw the female."

"And what proof did you have, to say that we had bitten a human?"

Sam looked uncomfortable. He shifted his weight between his feet.

"Well?" I pressed icily.

"Jacob said that he saw 'the bronze-haired one kissing the brown haired female'."

"And _why, _may I ask, does that prove she was bitten?"

"You wouldn't be able to kiss her and be so close if she was human," Jared explained.

"You think so?" I said. They both nodded. "Then you are fools. You have no idea of the self-control I have developed. The years and years of refusal of my vampire urges, the need for blood. Thirst unquenched. The woman I was kissing is the reason I live at all. She is not a vampire- she is as human as the seven billion other people on this planet."

"Show us proof," Sam said quickly.

"How do you propose I do that?" I snapped.

"Bring her back here and kiss her again. Let us see her."

"You think I would willingly risk her life by bringing her into a house full of werewolves?" I said, "Do you not comprehend how much she means to me?"

"You fell in love with a human?" Sam scoffed. "Didn't they tell you to eat your food, not to fall in love with it?"

"Don't speak another word," I warned.

"Bring her back, and we will leave."

"Why don't I just kill you?" I said. "Much easier."

"You wouldn't. You have just been telling us about how you worked so hard to deny your vampire urges and keep a shred of humanity. You wouldn't kill us without reason."  
"Are you challenging me?" I growled.

"I don't want to fight you," Sam said. "I want to be able to leave. I want to see a healthy human girl, so we can leave! You've already killed at least one of my pack, a high enough price to pay. Bring us the girl, and there'll be no more bloodshed."

I stared at them for a few seconds, meaning to refuse them, but agreement came out of my mouth. Alice tensed beside me, but didn't question my decision.

Now that I had somehow agreed, I took out my phone and rang Carlisle's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"Yes?"

"Come back now," I said, talking too fast for the werewolves to understand. "Bring Bella. Make sure she's calm."

"Are the werewolves dead?"

"No," I said. "They say they want to see me kiss Bella to prove she's human. They promise they wont go near her, and will leave once I prove it to them."

"Is Alice okay?"

"She's hyperventilating," I said. "She wants to know how Jasper is."

"I'll be back soon," Carlisle said, "I'm driving back now. Jasper woke up about five minutes after we got in the car. I'm putting him on the phone now. Get Alice."

I handed the phone to Alice and heard her begin to speak quickly, her words blurring and slurring even to me. I could hear her thoughts, and saw the rushing images as she imagined Jasper's face.

_Oh, thank god, thank god! Jasper… I can hear his voice… he's okay! Oh thank you, thank you god. My love… I will see him soon._

"Yes," Alice said, "I love you Jasper. I'll see you in ten minutes. With Bella? Yes. See you!"

She hung up then hugged the phone to her chest, breathing deeply. She kept repeating the words, 'he's fine, he's fine'.

I saw Sam out of the corner of my eye, walking over to Embry, who was on the floor. Sam spoke quietly to Embry, who moaned back. Jared, who was more or less unharmed apart from a latticework of scrapes across his chest, ran over to Paul, who was slumped against the wall.

_He's dead! He's dead! _Jared thought, _NO!_

Jared turned to Paul and examined his head, finally realizing the shard of glass that had stuck into the back of his head.

"He's not breathing!" Jared said, "He has no pulse!"

"Paul's dead?" I heard a whisper from the top of the stairs. A tall boy with russet skin was crawling down the stairs, falling part the way.

Jared rushed over to him, and helped him up.

"Jacob!" Jared said, "Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" Jacob said, "The female broke my neck!"

_Being a werewolf saved me… _Jacob thought, _if I'd been human, I would have been dead straight away. I might still die anyway. Crap, it wrecks!_

Jacob rolled his head, and with a loud crack, it slipped into a different position. He screamed, and slumped onto Jared.

_He just knocked himself out!_ Jared thought.

_Maybe he couldn't stand the pain. _

Sam left Embry and rushed over to Quil, who had stopped thrashing on the floor a while ago. He was motionless- dead.

_That female bit him! She killed him!_

"You attacked us," I reminded him. "Esme was acting only in self defence."

"Two of my pack are dead!" Sam shouted, "And Jacob might yet die too! And Embry's arm has been shattered by that blonde bloodsucker."

"Carlisle," I said. "You attacked his mate. It was revenge."

"Embry might never be able to walk again!" Jared shouted, lifting Jacob and carrying him over to where Embry lay.

"You don't walk with your arms," I pointed out.

"As a _werewolf_," Sam said.

"Why would you want to turn into a werewolf anyway?" Edward said, "They are detestable."

"Shut up!" Embry shouted, in immense pain from his arm.

I heard the sound of a car racing up the drive, and knew it was Carlisle. He got out of the car after parking, the arm that Sam had ripped off now back in place on his body. He was flexing the muscles of that arm as he walked up the drive, hand in hand with Esme, whose body parts had been reattached.

"Good as new," he said with a smile as he passed me. The door of the car banged open and Jasper bulleted up the path. He dodged past me, and landed straight in the arms of Alice. He picked her up, spun her around, and kissed her fiercely.

The one I had most wanted to see was yet to come. I ran to the car at vampire speed, and opened the door. As soon as I saw her, she jumped into my arms, smashing herself against me. She was crying, her heartbeat erratic, her body shaking.

"Bella," I said worriedly, "Bella! What is wrong?"

"I was so worried," she whispered. "They could have hurt you!"

She pulled at me, tugging me closer if that was possible. I could feel her soft curves through her dress and felt my body begin to burn with desire for her.

"Edward," she whispered. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"  
"We didn't even fight for long," I said, trying to ignore the longing that crashed through me, "I managed to placate them. They just want to see you and then they will leave."

She looked up at me, her big brown eyes afraid.

"Don't worry, love," I whispered, leaning down. I wanted to feel her lips on mine, her naked skin… I placed a light kiss on her lips, denying myself more even though something inside me had wakened.

"They just want to see me," Bella whispered, reassuring herself.

I picked her up in my arms, and she snuggled against my chest. I could feel her pulling at the buttons of my shirt, her arms on my chest. Oh, how much I wanted her! It scared me. Would I have enough self-control? I had to! I needed her and she needed me.

Everyone was waiting inside for our arrival. Carlisle was bent down beside Embry, his expert hands brushing over the skin.

"It's broken badly," he said. "He'll need surgery."

"You did this to me!" Embry shouted.

"You almost killed my mate," Carlisle said, his eyes flashing.

Embry, sensing his anger, cleverly fell silent.

"Is this the girl?" Sam asked. Jacob turned his head ever so slightly and nodded. "Show us then."

"Show them what?" Bella whispered from my arms.

I set her down on her feet, my arm around her waist to support her. I leant down and brushed the hair away from her ear with a finger. I put my lips to her ear and breathed words against her skin.

"They just want to see us kiss," I whispered. "One kiss and they will believe I have self control."

"One kiss?" Bella said.

"Yes, love," I whispered.

Bella smiled. "I would be happy to," she whispered.

I knew my eyes were smouldering, seducing her. I couldn't help it. This happened whenever I looked at her. Her heat beat rocketed, thumping away quickly in her chest, and she blushed. I leaned closer, and her breathing started to become short, sharp gasps. I pushed her hair away from her face, my hands gentle, and she melted against my chest, pressing herself at me. I leaned in to her lips, kissing her tenderly.

I meant to lean back after that, but her reaction shocked me and I lost myself in her, totally forgetting that people were watching. Her lips parted, her sweet breath in my mouth. Rather forcefully for a human, she put her arms around her neck and pulled my head against her lips. I slipped my tongue into her mouth- she was giving me all the encouragement I needed and more.

The taste of her mouth was sweet, almost as if she had just eaten a peach. I craved more.

Her heart thudded against my chest, and her smell swept over me. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the freesia-like smell. Then her tongue found mine, soft and warm. She moaned out loud.

After a few seconds, I pulled back, because the kiss was going to far. I couldn't do this in a room full of people. But when I looked around, we were alone in the room.

_The werewolves left, _Carlisle thought, _they'd seen enough. They believed you. _

_Damn that kiss was hot, _thought Alice from upstairs. At first, I thought she was thinking about Bella and I, but when I heard the rest of her thoughts, I realized they were about Jasper. I blocked out her mind as I hated to hear too much of my family's private, _private _lives.

"We're alone," Bella whispered. She hooked her fingers through the waistband of my jeans.

"Not here," I whispered. "Upstairs."

Bella nodded, and began to walk towards the stairs. I caught her up in my arms, sweeping her off her feet, and ran up the stairs.

I pulled open my bedroom door with a foot, and kicked it shut behind me as I set Bella down.

OOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOO

REVIEW, AND SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH ME 3

I have a special arrangement for you guys 

Here's the deal: You get TWO chapters tonight if you review for both of them! Sound like a deal?

The second chapter will be the much awaited lemon scene, and I will be posting it as an Outtake. That will be your second chapter, but I'm sorry for any kiddies reading this who can't possibly read something so dirty XD

It WILL be an 'M'.

SO REVIEW 

CullenLove xxxx


	22. Use Your Vampire Speed  Note

**Okay, I just want to explain this chapter. It is a bit old for a 'T' rating, so I have put it as an Outtake (another story). The Outtake will be under my name, on my bio. If you have me on Author's Alert, then that will tell you as well. It is a 'steamy' lemon scene, and will be an 'M'. It is called 'Use Your Vampire Speed' ;)**

**I put it as an Outtake because I didn't want to change the rating of the story. **

**OOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOooooooooooooOOOOOOO**

**If you don't want to read that, or you're too young, here is a shortened version of the chapter. You don't have to read 'Use Your Vampire Speed', because if you read this then you will still understand the story. **

**Edward took Bella up to their room- they were alone, (FINALLY) they, ahem, 'did it'. Okay?**

**They 'serviced their reproductive glands', 'indulged in the greatest form of satisfaction', 'made a lot of love'. Get it? ******

**The next chapter will pick up from the morning after they 'did it'. **

**OOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOO**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter if you do choose to read it!**

**Ps. Any technical things about the process of doing it… please don't shout at me if I get it wrong! I have limited experience :D (i.e. none!)**


	23. Happiness At Last?

**I'd like to say- THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONSTANTLY REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ALL :P**

**You make me a very happy bunny… a very happy, hyper bunny!  
SO KEEP 'EM COMIN'!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters… **

**XXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxXXXXXXX**

**Bella's POV**

When I woke up in the morning, he was right there, naked beside me. I rolled into his arms, and snuggled my face into his chest.

"Bella?" he whispered.

"Edward," I whispered.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered.

"Better than I've ever felt before," I answered.

His face shone. His breathing was ragged too, just like mine.

"I'll make you breakfast," he whispered. "Nothing gets you hungry like a good fu—"

"Edward!" I said.

He grinned impishly at me, and swung his legs out of bed. He walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. I watched him, my eyes devouring him. I hadn't ever seen him like this before. It was like he was glowing- his skin radiant with unsuppressed joy. He had changed somehow in the night- had loosened up, relaxed. He was no longer his stressed self, always over thinking things. He reminded me of Emmett- truly happy.

I wonder what it was about me that had changed him.

When he was clothed, he kissed me lightly on the lips before going downstairs. I wondered what food he was going to make, and how he would make it when he couldn't taste-test it. I grinned, and got out of bed. I wanted a shower, but I didn't want to wash at the same time. I could smell his scent lingering on my skin, and didn't want to let it go.

Shaking my head at my obsession with him, I promised myself that once I had washed I would press myself close to him so that I could smell like him again.

The water was cold and refreshing. It cleared my head.

Leaving a trail of water droplets across the bathroom floor, I trailed along the corridor to Edward's room and dried myself off. I got dressed quickly, throwing on the clothes, anxious to get back downstairs to Edward.

When I emerged into the living room, Esme was bustling about dusting, her long caramel hair pulled back into a scruffy ponytail and an apron tied round her petite waist. Alice and Jasper were sitting on the sofa, limbs entangled, watching television. Alice had her head laid on Jasper's chest and he was stroking her short black hair. I could tell that they were amazed to be alive and revelling in each other's presence.

Carlisle and Edward were nowhere to be seen- and Rosalie and Emmett were still in England.

"Where is Carlisle?" I asked Esme.

She smiled a good morning and answered brightly, "He's at the hospital."

"Oh?"

"He's treating Jacob, the werewolf."

"Oh?" I repeated.

Esme looked down and span the duster nervously in her hands. Her eyes clouded. "I broke his neck."

"How is he?" I asked, not really caring.

"Not good," Esme said, "He almost died in the night. It was all Carlisle could do to save him, but I think he's going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life."

"Like his father, then," Jasper murmured from the sofa.

"They'll make a good pair," Alice spat, still furious at the wolves for attacking her mate.

"Don't be like that, Alice," Esme said. "They truly believed that we broke the treaty. That's why they attacked. We have to forgive them or it might start a war between us. More lives would be lost."

"We could take them," Alice said, "They can't be that hard to beat. We already killed two. And paralyzed one."

"Alice!" Esme said, dropping the duster. "Don't ever let me hear you say anything like that again!"

"Sorry," Alice answered automatically, no emotion in her voice or on her face. It scared me. I could hear the low rumbling growl starting in Esme's throat, and the answering one in Jasper's.

"Go to your room now," Esme commanded.

Alice didn't dare disobey. She trooped up the stairs, Jasper dragging his heels behind her. I heard the click of their bedroom door and then an angry sigh from beside me. Esme.

"Sorry about that," she said, "They need to behave themselves."

"No problem," I whispered.

"Rosalie and Emmett rang last night," Esme said offhandedly as she began to restart cleaning.

"Oh?" I said. That was fast becoming my favourite word this morning.

"Emmett was asking to speak to you," Esme said, "But I didn't come up. I thought you were busy."

I blushed a deep red and fidgeted uncomfortably. _'Busy'! What a way to describe last night with Edward… !_

"I'm sure they'll ring again," Esme said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"How are they doing?"

"They're loving England," Esme said, "Emmett took Rosalie on the London Eye yesterday. And she's been dragging him around all the shops."

"Poor guy," I sniggered. _Shopping with Rosalie… a dangerous activity. _

"Bella…" Esme muttered, putting down the duster and gesturing for me to sit beside her on the sofa. I joined her on the seat, folding my hands in my lap, and waited for her to speak.

"About yesterday," she started, "And the werewolves…"

"Yes?"

"Carlisle told me a bit about them and I think you might want to know."

I urged her on with my hand.

"Two of them are dead," she said bluntly, her voice apologizing for some reason, and soft as silk, "And Jacob is paralysed, almost fully. The pack is torn apart, as you can imagine. I can't imagine how much trauma you have gone through in these past few weeks- almost committing suicide, waking up in a strange place you've never been before, with strange people—"

"You're not strange," I interrupted. "You're lovely."

Esme smiled warmly and patted my clasped hands affectionately. "…Finding out there are 'Missing' posters up in shops… being in the middle of a brawl between two races of monsters…" she held a hand up before I interrupted again, "And to top it all off, falling in love. I can't imagine how- how… confused and angry and scared… you must be."

"If this is confused, angry and scared… then I love the feeling," I breathed, my thoughts on Edward. He would be in the kitchen right now, his hair messy and stylishly dishevelled, his pale skin glowing in the light from the light bulbs, his burning gold eyes fixed in concentration on the food he was trying to cook…

Esme started up again, cutting off my train of thought. "Well, we'd like you to know… you will always have a home here with us."  
"I didn't plan on going back to Phoenix," I whispered.

"We want you to live with us, Edward especially," Esme said.

"Really…?" I muttered, in shock. "You want me to live with you?"

"Yes, very much," Esme said.

"Oh thank you!" I said, and flung my hands around her neck. When she stiffened, I pulled back. Her eyes had gone several shades darker, but she was restraining herself. How could I have forgotten? Esme would be tempted by my blood, just like every other vampire in this house.

"I'm sorry!" I said.

"It's okay, Bella," Esme said softly.

It was so easy to forget they weren't human when they treated me this kindly.

"But… if you want to live with us—"

"I do!" I said. "I'd love to!"

"—Then you'd have to go to school," Esme finished.

"To _school_?" I said, in shock. I _had not _expected her to come out with something like that.  
"Yes," Esme said. "School. In September."

"In Forks?"

"Yes," Esme said. "You'd be starting with Edward, you wouldn't be alone. It's a small school, very nice, and I'm sure you'd be happy there."

"But what about the 'Missing' posters?" I said. "Surely someone will recognise me!"

"Ah…" Esme said, "School was only a plan. But we've thought about that, Carlisle and I. Everyone assumes you are dead. I forgot to tell you, but when I was buying paint to paint the house yesterday, I saw that the 'Missing' posters had been taken down. I asked the man behind the counter about it, and he said that the police enquiry had been cancelled. You are now presumed dead."

"Dead?" I repeated, my mouth hanging open.

"Apparently they have evidence to prove that you had burned to death in a pub. They even have a body."  
"A _body?_ They can't have! I'm still alive!"  
"That's what they said. I've done some digging," Esme replied.

"Then who's dead? I'm not!"

"The body was burnt so badly that they couldn't recognise it as a person," Esme said, "But they did some DNA tests, and it matched your DNA."

"That can't be true! The only other person with the same DNA as me is…" My mind ground to a halt… _my mother. _

I looked up at Esme. She nodded.

"My mother is dead?" I whispered.

"You have no other relations, apart from your father," Esme said, "And the body was identified as female."

"So my mother died in a pub fire?" I said, to shocked to think. My mind was working slowly, shuddering and grinding. I could feel the cogs that went round in my head getting stuck as I wallowed in confusion.

"Yes," Esme said, "That can be the only thing that has happened."

"Oh my god," I whispered. I stared at the fabric of my jeans for a few long minutes, my heart beating faster and faster. Suddenly I jumped up from the sofa and bolted out of the room.

As I entered the kitchen, I ran straight into Edward's cold, hard body.

"Oof," I said.

Edward held me back at arm's length and planted a kiss on my forehead. I jumped forward into his arms, wrapping my arms around his waist forcefully.

"Bella?"

"Yes?" I said.

"What is it?" Edward said. He peeled me off him and stared into my eyes.

"This might sound terrible…" I said, "But I'm free!!"

Edward paused for a second, presumably reading Esme's mind.

Then he turned back to me, and looked at me for several long seconds.

His face slowly broke out into a grin.

"That's wonderful, Bella!" he shouted, picking me up and spinning me around. He planted a deep kiss on my lips as he set me back down on the ground.

"I'm free!" I repeated, beginning to dance around the room. My happy emotions must have alerted Jasper and Alice, because they appeared at the top of the stairs. Alice was grinning, hardly suppressing her joy. Jasper was smiling warmly, his gold eyes dancing. And Esme was just standing there, her hand on her heart, grinning for all she was worth.

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Hope you enjoyed it!

By the way, this is _not _the end of the story!

It may seem like it… but its all a façade… mwah ha ha ha!!

What will Bella make of her newfound freedom?

What will happen when Edward's mind strays back to the Prophecy and he can't forget it?


	24. Prophecy Parasite

**Here is the next chapter! I think- wait, I'm sure- you're going to like the end of this chappie!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters… --sigh--.**

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**Edward's POV**

Two days had passed since Bella had found out that she was free. At first I had been worried that she wouldn't take the death of a family member well, but when she poured out her feelings to me, telling me in detail about her past, I was not surprised she was relieved. Some of the things her mother had done to her! It was unthinkable.

Odd that a monster such as her mother had given birth to such an angel. I had her mother to thank for her birth… but also to hate because of the horrible childhood she had given her beautiful daughter. When Bella had noticed the anguish the story of her past gave me, she had wanted to do anything she could to cheer me up. And of course, that had led to a wonderful repeat of the first time we made love. She made me whole again.

It continuously surprises me how perfect she can be, and yet so modest. She is capable of making any emotion at all appear for me, and she makes me gasp with wonder each day. I felt more human than I had felt in over 100 years.

Right now, Jasper is showing Alice and Bella what Esme and him did while we were away. The redecoration of the house. I can hear gasps of astonishment as Bella notices the painting Jasper made of him and Alice on the wall, and it makes me smile. They are being shown around Esme's room now, and I can hear the giggles coming from Bella when she sees the labels Esme painted on the drawers.

She thinks it is a work of art- I can hear her soft voice echoing through the house.

I haven't thought much since the werewolf attack; this newfound bliss with Bella hasn't given me time. I want to be with her every second, watching her, living her life with her. I think this is the first hour I have been apart from her in weeks.

Alice wanted her for a makeover, and Jasper wanted to show her the redecoration he did. They said I couldn't see her until lunchtime. At first I refused to let her out of my sight- I could see Bella didn't want to have a makeover and Alice was somewhat forcing her. But Bella agreed at last, probably out of guilt, and they dragged her away. I retired to my room, to listen to my music collection.

This silence in my room is peaceful, not solitary like you might think. I can hear everything- the leaves rustling in the slight breeze outside the window, the creak as Esme goes up and down the stairs to get various cleaning materials, and the laughter as Alice makes Bella giggle.

I have time to think in here, and my thoughts stray back a couple of days, to the conversation Carlisle and I had about the Prophecy.

… _It is said that one human female will have the key to a vampire's heart, and the guts to destroy this vampire in the only way possible- to make him love her, then to leave him. To make him beg for death, and to destroy him so fully that he will seek others of his own kind to end his existence. _

_This vampire will not be any vampire; he will be the Prince of the Cold Ones, the one with the power to hear any thought that passes through any mind, as they think it. He will also be the only vampire to have a second power, a power that will make itself apparent on his death day. It is the power that will be the downfall of the entire vampire race. _

What does it mean? I don't understand it. I still can't believe it's about me, but it fits so closely to my life that the doubt is there in my mind. What if it is about me? What if Bella does leave me?

I can hear her laughter ringing through the house again- she is laughing at something Jasper said. I can hear their voices, not bothering to be quiet, filled with careless happiness. I long to be there with them, but I can't bring myself to get up. And there's another thing… I feel this stupid idea stewing in my brain- that I don't fit in with them. They are so carefree, their souls so light, yet I feel dragged down by this Prophecy. It clouds my mind with confusion, doubt, and worry.

I have never doubted before that Bella would stay with me forever. Nothing has given me notice to, not even now. She has told me a hundred times how much she loves me, and I have told her the same back, right from my heart. It is obvious we are meant to be together, and we have shown our love for each other numerous times and ways. So why does this niggling doubt work away at the back of my mind, like a parasite eager for blood?

She gave it no notice to.

She has been the same as before, but better. Happy now, all worries truly erased from her mind. She floats now, like a cloud, and she shines. She is radiant!

And here she comes- bursting through my door, her brown locks bouncing and her eyes shining. She calls out my name, and I smile and open my arms for her.

Her body is warm, and pressed up against mine I can feel every curve. Each turn and slope and angle, each inch of her I have loved and kissed and touched.

And then she speaks, and the spell is broken.

"Can we go out?" she asks, her eyes dancing.

"Of course," I answer.

She pulls back, and looks into my eyes. For a few seconds the smile stays on her face, but then it fades. She knows me too well- she isn't fooled.

"What's wrong?" she asks, her voice soft. I feel her rub up and down my arms with the palms of her hands.

"Nothing," I answer.

One of her eyebrows raises and disappears into her hair. "Oh yes? Nothing?"

I nod.

"It doesn't look like nothing," she says. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

I can tell her, right?

Of course I can't! She doesn't even know about the Prophecy.

_I wonder where Bella got to, _I hear Alice think. _She's probably with Edward. _

Bella looks up at me and waits. I know she is waiting for my answer, already thinking of ways to cheer me up. I can't help it; I lean forward, my nose nuzzling her neck. I breathe in her scent, hear her heart beat, and commit that rhythm to memory.

She turns her head so my lips meet hers. And then she moves closer to me, and we are lost in the kiss, lost in each other.

And then it comes to me! The stroke of genius…! A way to keep her with me forever, a way to never loose her!

I take her hands and clasp them in mine. She looks up at me, sensing that something important is going to happen, her brown eyes wide with anticipation.

"Bella," I whisper, "Will you marry me?"

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What did you think of that, then?

CullenLove xx


	25. Proposal

**Sorry it took a while to get out… I was so damn busy with schoolwork.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. **

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**Bella's POV**

"Bella," he whispers, his voice urgent and passionate, his eyes burning. He gently squeezes my hands that are clasped in his. I suck in my breath in anticipation, holding it. He opens his mouth again, and after a little pause, breathes, "Will you marry me?"

I am shocked by his words- he just proposed to me! And me being me, I do the stupidest thing possible and say…

"Pardon?"

He closes his eyes and repeats himself, his grip on my hands getting stronger. I can see him shaking- it looks as if his body is vibrating at super-speed.

"Why are you shaking?" I ask.

He keeps his eyes closed, and when he speaks, he sounds more vulnerable than I have ever heard him before. His voice wavers on the last word. "I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

He breathes in deeply once more. "Of your answer."

I stare at his closed eyes for a few seconds more, thinking.

_The most beautiful, godly, kindest, passionate man on the planet has just asked me to be his wife. _

_Edward. _

_Edward!_

"Bella," he moans, "Please say something."

"I don't know what to say," I whisper.

He opens his eyes slowly and they are smouldering again. I gasp- he is dazzling me, turning my legs weak, making my heart race.

"Say yes," he whispers. He kisses each of my fingertips, one after the other. His sweet breath fans across my face, and he's so close our eyelashes are almost brushing.

I don't even have to think now- and it's a good job, because I can't. He's turned my brain to mush.

"Yes," I say, "Oh, yes, Edward. Yes!"

His eyes widen. "Yes?"

"YES!" I shout, and grab the back of his head, forcing his lips against mine. At first, the kiss is soft and gentle, but he begins to bring his emotions into the kiss- his joy, excitement and love. Soon he is pushing me back onto the bed, and laying himself on top of me. I can feel his weight on my stomach, and his lips on my neck.

But then the moment is broken, and a noise a bit like a startled foghorn echoes through the room. And a small, black shape rushes at us, like a charging rhino.

"WAHHOOOOO!!!"

It's Alice, of course.

"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!" she screams.

Edward lifts himself off me, a massive smile on his face. His eyes are twinkling. He turns to me and grabs my hands. He uses them to pull me up off the bed gently, then he picks me up. Before I know it, he is running- vampire speed- and the house is rushing past us. I see him narrowly miss a lamp, jump down the stairs in one big leap, and then I see a flash of wood and we're outside.

Esme is there, with Carlisle, out on the lawn. Esme is cutting the grass, and Carlisle is walking along beside the lawnmower, talking to her. I can see him gesturing with his long, pale white hands.

As Esme turns the lawnmower to mow a different area of grass, she sees us, and stops.

"Edward," she says, nodding her head to him, "What's got you so happy?"

Carlisle takes Esme's hand and they walk towards us. I can see Alice out of the corner of my eye, jumping up and down with excitement. There is the noise of a door opening from behind and Jasper strolls out onto the lawn, his hands in the pockets of the hoodie he's wearing.

"Bella and I are getting married!" Edward answers, his voice so filled with happiness that it makes me burn with pleasure. _I _am making him this happy!

"What?" Esme says, her hand on her chest. She thinks she heard him wrong!

"BELLA AND EDWARD ARE GETTING MARRIED!" Alice yells, and the words are interspersed with loud 'whoops'. Alice barrels into Jasper, knocking him backwards to the floor. She lands on top of him, and shakes him by the shoulders. "THEY'RE GETTING MARRIED, JASPER! HOW AMAZING IS THAT?"

Jasper looks shocked, whether at Alice's outburst of words or at her actions. He can feel the emotions of us all, and it's affecting him. He pulls himself up off the ground, and lifts Alice up too. In a motion that he often does when the emotions are overwhelming him, he rubs the place where his still heart is.

"That's wonderful!" Esme says, and runs over to hug us both.

"My son," Carlisle says, and his face is filled with so much pride you'd think he was Edward's blood father. "Congratulations!"

Jasper is grinning. He thumps Edward on the back.

"We have to tell Emmett and Rosalie!" Esme shouts, and sprints into the house to get the phone. Her steps are light, and she looks happier than I can remember.

Edward finally puts me down, and brushes the back of his hand gently across my cheek. He kisses me affectionately, and then takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.

"I have a ring," he tells me. "In my room."

"You have a ring already?" I say, my voice as light as air. I am still so surprised that Edward proposed to me and _we're getting married, _that I can hardly speak. As he takes me upstairs, my thoughts go to my mother.

_She would have hated me getting married… she said that it was a waste of time because men would just push you around and you'd just end up getting divorced within the year. But she's not here to tell me what I can and cannot do! I have never wanted anyone so much as Edward, and I can have him! I'd be a fool to give this up! No, not for my mother. Not for anyone!_

Edward turns his back to me and pulls something out of a drawer. My heart splutters when I see the shine of a diamond on a simple but beautiful ring, and he slips it onto my finger. The sunlight from outside makes the diamond glitter, just like Edward's skin.

"Oh, Edward!" I breathe, "It's beautiful!"

"It was my mother's," he tells me. Then he kisses the diamond, and then my lips.

"EDWARD!" Alice shouts. "BELLA!" She appears in the doorway of Edward's room a second later.

"Yes?"

Alice slowly walks towards me.

"Her fingers are crossed behind her back," Edward whispers to me.

"Will you let me do the wedding?" she asks.

"NO!" Edward says straight away.

Alice pouts, with big shining eyes, and it makes me feel so bad. How could I say no to her? It's cruel! 

"Of cour-" I begin to say, but Edward holds me by the shoulders and spins me so I am behind him.

"Don't guilt trip her Alice," Edward snarls, "This _is _going to be what_ she wants _in a wedding, not what _you _want."

"Now, now, Edward," Esme shouts from downstairs. "Keep your voice down, Carlisle's on the phone!"

Alice pouts bigger, and blinks her eyes a couple of times.

"Don't look at her Bella," Edward tells me. "Alice, stop it!"

"Fine," Alice whispers. She sounds hurt. I see her hang her head as she walks out of the room.

"Wait!" I shout, and in a flash, Alice is back in the room. She looks hopeful. "You can do the wedding," I answer.

"YES!" Alice screams, and hugs me fiercely. Edward has to remind her that I am human or she would have hugged me too tight and broken my ribs.

When Edward and I are alone again, he sighs with relief.

"Emmett is going to want to speak to us tomorrow," Edward says. "He's coming back with Rosalie from England in a week."

"How do you know?" I ask. I don't remember anyone telling him…

"Esme was thinking it earlier," Edward said, "And I could hear Carlisle talking about it as I argued with Alice."

"When are we going to have the wedding?" I asked. My heartbeat was increasing at the prospect. I'd be the blushing bride- how appropriate!

"After Rosalie and Emmett come back, of course," Edward said. "Probably at the end of the summer, if that's okay? I want to go to school with a wedding ring on my finger!" He flashed a smile at me, his teeth sparkling.

"We could have it the week before school," I said.

"Yes, that'd be perfect," Edward said, "Alice just had a vision and is booking it now…"

I listened carefully and I could hear Alice's voice, low and persuading, floating up the stairs. She was booking the church and reception… probably begging because it was such short notice. The wedding would be in three weeks!

"Bella," Edward muttered.

"Yes?" I said, tracing his jaw line with my fingertip.

"Do you mind if we go away before the wedding?" he asked, his voice tentative.

"Where did you have in mind?"

"Just to see that author, Victoria…" Edward said.

"Why?"

"It's nothing," he said softly, "I just want to put my mind at rest about something." It sounded like there was something else, but I didn't press him. Everyone had secrets- it was natural. I trusted him.

"Of course we can go," I smiled, running my hand through his hair.

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Sorry about the tense in this chapter… it might have gone a bit weird. Forgive me- my brain is being slowly fried inside me doing coursework!

CullenLove

Ps. If you reviewed, it would make my awesome day!


	26. Jacob, James and Victoria's Grand Plan

**Jacob's POV**

I groaned, trying to move my head to look at the person who had just come into my hospital room. The cast around my neck, which didn't let me move my neck more than two centimetres, stopped my movement.

"Jacob?"

I recognised his voice- it was Sam. Come to visit me again.

"Hello," I said, my voice croaky from lack of use.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting in one of the plastic chairs beside my bed.

Sam looked old and weary. There were new lines in his face that hadn't been there before the fight. There was a permanent frown on his face, and his eyes held depths of sadness.

"I've never felt better," I said hoarsely.

Sam laughed, but the sound was not happy and it made my heart ache. The silence that now fell between us was uncomfortable.

"So…" I said, "How are _you _feeling?"

"What do you mean?" Sam said, a faraway look in his eyes. "I'm not injured."

"You're as injured as me," I said, "Though not physically."

Sam lowered his head. A small sigh slipped from between his lips.

My heart sank ever lower into the squeaky-clean hospital floor. "I missed them… didn't I?"

"What?"

"Their funerals."

_Quil and Paul… _

"Yes," Sam said, "I'm sorry Jake. We couldn't wait; we didn't know when you'd wake up."

"It's okay…" I said. I laid my head back against the pillow and closed my eyes. There was silence for a few seconds more; I could hear the harsh ticking of the clock on the wall, the squeaking of people's shoes in the corridor outside, and the deep breathing of Sam.

"Jake."

"Yes?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry for everything."

"It wasn't your fault," I said. Then my mind skipped back a few weeks.

"_What's the verdict?" Sam said, "Have they bitten a human or not? Was the girl a vampire?"_

_What should I say? I thought. Tell the truth, and say that I was too occupied with watching the girl than checking to see if she was a vampire? That I was just like Jared, Embry, Paul and Quil, too drunk and immature to actually do the job I was asked to do?_

"_She was a vampire," I said confidently. _

_Sam's eyes widened. "They broke the treaty!"_

"_Yeah," I said quietly, "I guess they did." _

_Already, I was starting to feel guilty. When Sam found out, he would sure be pissed with me._

When Sam found out! _Crap, crap, _I thought, _I'm in so much shit!_

And then another thought wormed it's way into my brain.

_I made the pack think that human girl was a vampire… it's because of me that we attacked! I am the reason Quil and Paul died!_

"NO!" I screamed. Sam's head snapped up and his eyes met mine. I hauled myself up from the bed with my arms, snapping all the wires that attached me to the bed.

Sam jumped up, looking alarmed. "Jacob! What's wrong?"

I didn't answer him- just stared, my eyes wild. I began to run towards the door of my hospital room, but heard a bang and I was falling. My legs hadn't moved! They wouldn't work!

"NO!" I screamed again, and blacked out as my face hit the hard, tiled floor.

**Victoria's POV**

I propped my head up with my hand as I looked at him. Naked in bed, we were covered in the thin sheen of sweat that came after lovemaking. His white hands were still lazily draped over my waist, and his eyes were lightly closed.

"James?" I whispered.

He opened one eye at first, and as he appraised my body, a smile crossed his face.

"Yes, my beauty?" he answered.

I smiled at the compliment. "I need a favour."

"What is it?" he said, the light in his eyes rekindling and burning. He loved my schemes, and presumably by the look on my face he could tell I had hatched another one.

"I need you to ask your friends for help," I said.

His eyes narrowed. "My friends?"

"Yes, my dear James," I said, "Your friends. They will be part of the plan too. It has recently come to my notice that a family of vampires will be paying us a visit soon, and your friends will provide the perfect backup if a brawl should occur."

"A family of vampires?" James said, his teeth flashing in the dim light of the shuttered room, "How do you know?"

"My power, you dimwit," I snapped.

(A/N: I don't want to explain Victoria's power in any more detail than this- her power is maybe a little similar to Alice's, but she doesn't _'see' _things, she senses them. Much like when a rabbit can sense danger, like when a fox is stalking him. Victoria's power is much more complex than that, but its just a complicated power much like instinct).

"Vampires, you say? Where from?"

"Washington," I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "How many?"

"Five vampires will come, with a human in their company," I explained.

"What is your plan?" James asked.

_He really thinks I am going to tell him that? Is he utterly stupid? _

"I can't tell you that yet, I haven't finalised the details," I lied. _Of course, I've finalised it! My plans are always well thought out, and they always work. _

"What are the vampires coming for?" James said, "They must have a reason."

"You remember that book I wrote about ten years ago?" I said.

James shook his head. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes with impatience.

"Remember when I suddenly had that 'feeling' that I had to write a book?" I said, "Through my power."

"Yes, I remember now," James said.

"Well I wrote about the 'Prophecy of the Blood Berries'."

"Oh yes," James said, "I remember asking about the odd title, but you just said that was what it was called and I couldn't change it."

"Well, the prophecy explained that one vampire would fall in love with a human. And then I wrote that the human would leave, breaking the vampire's heart," I said, "And the vampire would find a second power on his dying day that would be the downfall of the entire vampire race."

"I remember questioning you about the strangeness of it," James said, "I knew you believed that a mere mortal would never be able to destroy a being so matchless as a vampire. But you said that your power told you it was important to write exactly what you did."

"It _was_ important," I said, swinging my legs out of bed and walking over to the dresser. "And now I know why!"

I took some lacy red pants out of the top drawer, which were very insubstantial and hardly covered anything. I then pulled on a matching bra, and then chose my seducing dress. It was black leather, short, and hugged my curves. I would need any dazzling power I could use to pull off this spectacular plan.

"You know why? Tell me!" James said from the bed.

With a twinkle in my eye, I strutted over to the bed. I climbed up onto it, and crawled forwards until I was holding myself right above James. I could see desire in his eyes and smiled wider, my teeth flashing dangerously.

"I wrote that Prophecy for my own gain," I whispered against his lips, "But it was partly true."

"Partly? Which part wasn't real then?" James asked. "Is the vampire race going to be destroyed? Will the vampire's heart be broken? Will the human girl leave, will—"

I stopped his speech by putting a finger over his lips.

"You'll have to wait and see, won't you?" I murmured, and rewarded him with the kiss he had so been craving.


	27. Computerised Communications

I have a question… the next chapter has a lemon in it, and if I want to post it I will have to change this story to an 'M'.

Will this stop any younger readers from being able to enjoy the story? Are there any younger readers anyway?

I don't know.

So, I propose a vote.

Who thinks I should…

Post the lemon and change the rating to an 'M'.

Or…

Forget the lemon- rewrite the chapter so it is completely child-friendly.

And another thing, once you've told me that…

Does anyone know whether in America there is some sort of firewall whereby young people can't physically click on an 'M' story? Is there a thing where it says 'Access Denied' or something?

Thank you :) I appreciate it.

CullenLove xxx


	28. Family Bonding

Oh, no. I'm kind of scared now…

Most people- about 35 people- want me to post the lemon.

Then a couple of people- about 7- don't want me to.

Someone even threatened that they would stop reading the story if I put the lemon in… 

But… I have to go with the majority… so, I'm posting the lemon.

For those fragile people who can't cope with a lemon, then it's okay. I am posting it as the second chapter of 'Use Your Vampire Speed'.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

AND THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I got 53 so far for the last chapter. I guess the possibility of a lemon really does motivate people… LOL.

Ps. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ENJOY YOUR CHRISTMAS LEMON (IF YOU DECIDE TO READ IT!)

OOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOO

HERE IS THE NON-LEMON VERSION OF THE CHAPTER-

(Don't read it if you are reading the lemon… it will just be repetition).

**Bella's POV**

Edward had already dumped my bags in his Volvo about an hour ago. So I had nothing to do but sit and twiddle my thumbs while he and Alice talked, too quickly for me to understand. God knows what they were discussing.

_Probably the wedding… _I thought. _But if that was it, then why wouldn't I be part of that discussion too?_

Maybe it was something they didn't want me to know.

_Now what could that be…? What did Alice know that I didn't?_

I sighed so loudly that both Edward and Alice turned to look at me from the other side of the room. Alice was sitting on the bar beside the sink, her feet dangled over the edge, and Edward was leaning gracefully against the wall.

Apparently, Esme and Carlisle were otherwise 'occupied' because I could hear quiet banging from upstairs and the occasional giggle and moan I assumed was from Esme. _Who would have known…?_

I decided to embarrass Edward.

"Where are Esme and Carlisle?" I asked sweetly.

Alice knew what I was doing, and winked at me.

Edward frowned. I almost laughed at his expression- he looked so cute. Just like a little puppy!

"I'm not sure," Edward lied.

"Are they at home?" I asked.

Edward nodded reluctantly. I got up from the sofa and walked towards the stairs, excruciatingly slowly.

"I'm just going to find them then," I said, my foot on the first step, "I'm sooooo bored."

What would Edward be thinking right now? He could hear Esme and Carlisle's thoughts, and obviously knew that if I went looking for them now then I might walk in on them doing 'something' that he wouldn't want me to see.

What would his reply be?

"No," Edward said, "Wait, Bella come back."

"Why?" I said, not turning to look at him. I stepped up another step. I could hear more clearly now the moans from upstairs and recognised Carlisle's soft voice, though I couldn't (and didn't want to) hear what he was saying. I giggled to myself.

"Because I think Esme and Carlisle are doing something," Edward said.

"What?" I said, putting a bit of surprise into my voice.

"Probably just cleaning!" Edward said quickly.

I stepped up another step.

"No!" Edward said, his voice getting louder, "Bella! Stop!"

"Why? Is there something you don't want me to see?" I said.

"No! There isn't!" Edward said, "Bella, come back! Join in our discussion!"

I stepped up another step. There were only two more to go.

"Please!" Edward begged.

I reached the last step. One more, and I'd be on the landing.

"I just want to ask them something," I said. _No, I don't. I want you to admit what they are doing, Edward! Mwahahaha!_

(A/N: Okay, maybe a little OOC, but she's being influenced by all that time spent with Alice!)

I lifted my foot and was about to put it down to stand on the landing when I felt two cold arms wind around my waist and drag me backwards. I could feel Edward's body pressed up against mine as he pulled me back down the stairs gently. I breathed in deeply, and took in his smell, smiling to myself.

"Lets do something else," Edward said. "You said you were bored."

"Oh yes?" I said, with real interest, "And what would that something be?"

Alice winked at me again as she went out into the garden. I wondered why she was leaving us. Had she seen a vision?

Edward had taken me out of the kitchen, through the dining room and through a door I had never even noticed, before he answered.

"Let's have some fun," he breathed against my neck. Then he stepped away from me and I looked around the room we were now in.

The walls were painted a deep red, and the lights were dim. I hadn't noticed, but Edward had adjusted them when we had come in. We seemed to be in some sort of cellar, but an amazingly well furnished cellar if anything. This looked to be Esme's skills at their best.

There was a bed in the centre of the room. I could only imagine what it was there for.

"Where are we?" I whispered. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and sexy. It made me want to talk quietly, but scream loudly. "How come I've never noticed this place before?"

"I've never taken you here before," Edward said. "It is, as they put it—"

"They?" I interrupted.

"The rest of the family," Edward explained, "It's the only place of privacy in the whole house. The walls are soundproofed. Honestly, I could fire a gun in here and yell as loud as I want and they wouldn't hear. Not even with their vampire hearing!"

"Seriously?" I whispered, walking towards the bed. I ran a hand lightly across the red sheets and grasped the iron bedpost in my left hand. Edward watched unblinkingly as I used it to swing myself onto the bed.

OOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOooooooOO

And it goes on from there, lol.

OOOOOOooooooOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooOO

**Edward's POV**

"Was that a welcome distraction then?" I asked her, once she was tired out. She replied by kissing my shoulder, her head bobbing a 'yes'. "Can't imagine anything better," she whispered.

"Neither can I," I breathed into her hair.

We lay in peaceful silence on the bed, her cuddled up to my chest, my arms around her.

"Who rang?" she asked after a while.  
"Alice," I said.

"What did she want?" Bella asked.

"She was thinking that it was time to go to Victoria's."

"Oh?"

"Yes," I said, "But it doesn't matter. We're only a few hours late. I'm sure she found… something… to amuse herself with."

"Jasper?" Bella said.

I nodded, a smile on my face. So, that made the whole house, then.

Alice and Jasper in their room… Esme and Carlisle in the bathroom… and Bella and I down here. And knowing Emmett and Rosalie and their frequent sex romps, then they were probably doing it back in England too.

"**Family bonding, right?" Bella said.**

**OOOOOoooooOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOooooooOO**

**Make a review my Christmas present!!**

**CullenLove xx**


	29. Shower Play

**Firstly, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

**I'd like to apologise because I promised some people that I would update just after Christmas. My computer crashed last week, and I honestly spent a **_**whole day **_**trying to fix it. At least seven hours. But it's better now, so don't worry!**

**This chapter is long to apologise for the slightly longer wait, and it's the fluff scene people asked for, because they know Edward and Bella may well be separated by Victoria's evil plan soon. **

**I hope you enjoy it. **

**Ps. If you wanted a song to listen to while you read, I recommend 'Lion' by Rebecca St. James for this chapter! It reminds me of Edward :D**

**And if you don't like that one, try 'Everywhere' by Michelle Branch. **

**P.S. YOU MAY THINK THIS IS ANOTHER LEMON, BUT IT'S NOT… just fluff. **

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**Bella's POV**

Edward took me gently by the hand once we were both dressed again, and led me out of the soundproofed room. The lounge was strangely empty.

Alice and Jasper appeared at the top of the stairs a second later, Jasper only in his trousers and carrying Alice's suitcase of clothes.

"Hello," Alice said, "Have fun?"

Edward smirked. "Immense fun. And you?"

The corner of Jasper's mouth twitched.

Alice grinned, "Yes."

"Well," I said loudly. I didn't want to get any further into this conversation; my cheeks were already heating up. "When are we going?"  
"Once Esme and Carlisle come down," Alice said loudly, knowing they would hear upstairs.

They appeared a few seconds later, as Jasper was pulling on a shirt. Carlisle was in jeans and a crisp white shirt, and Esme was in slacks and a dark red blouse with the sleeves rolled up.

"You're all coming?" I said.

They nodded.

We only had three suitcases. One for me, one for Alice, and one for everyone else.

"Come on then," Edward said.

"Which cars are we taking?" I asked.

"You and Edward in the Volvo, Alice and Jasper in the Porsche, and Esme and I in the Merc," Carlisle said. He held up three sets of keys. "Here you go, fight over them."

Before I could even move, Edward had shot at vampire speed over to Carlisle and snatched the Volvo keys from him.

"Sorry Bella, but I can't let you drive," Edward said. "You're too slow."

Then before I could answer, two blurs of white were running straight at Carlisle. There was a massive crashing sound, and all three collided.

"AHHH!" I heard Alice shout in her high voice. "JASPER! You landed on me!"

I heard Jasper yell something incomprehensible back.

The blurs became tangled as all three started to jostle- Alice and Jasper for the keys, Carlisle to get away.

"I'M DRIVING!" Alice yelled.

Suddenly, the set of keys were flying my way. They hit me in the shoulder, and fell into my hands.

The bundle of bodies froze.

Edward jumped in front of me, in a protective crouch.

"You're not jumping on her!" Edward yelled.

_Were things always this crazy in the Cullen house?_

_Of course they were! _

Jasper and Alice stood up, and Carlisle backed away to stand with Esme. He was holding the Mercedes keys, and Esme didn't object. He took her hand, and they went out to their car.

"Please, give them to me, Bella," Alice pleaded, holding her hands out for them as she edged nearer.

"No," Jasper said, "Throw them to me."

"Please," Alice whined.

"Bella," Jasper said, "To me."

"You love me more," Alice said. "I buy you clothes…"

"Please Bella," Jasper whispered.

"AHH!" I yelled, and chucked the keys straight up into the air. I bolted towards the door, and Edward scooped me up in his arms and ran with me to the Volvo.

A few minutes later, Alice and Jasper emerged from the house.

Jasper had the keys.

Alice was in a grump.

Esme jumped out of the Mercedes, and locked the house. She patted Alice comfortingly on the shoulder as she passed. Alice scowled, stamping over to the Porsche. Jasper held the passenger door open for her, and smiled as still in a tantrum, Alice ignored him and slammed the door closed.

I think Jasper used his emotion-controlling power, because Alice was smiling genuinely by the time Jasper got into the driver's seat.

**Edward's POV**

Bella slept for most of the journey. We found the hotel that we were staying in, and had checked in by the time it was nine o'clock. It was too late to call on Victoria now, but we would tomorrow. I was pleased to see that Alice had booked three double rooms, so I would be alone with Bella tonight!

I didn't plan on doing anything, but it would be nice to just hold her in my arms while she slept. I think Alice and Jasper were discussing (well, Alice did the planning, and as her husband, Jasper got pulled along) to spend the night in a nightclub. We didn't need to sleep, so spending all night in the hotel room might get a little boring. Not for me though, I loved to listen to Bella's heartbeat as she slept.

_Would Esme enjoy travelling through the city on a tour bus? _Carlisle was thinking. _We could spend the night doing that, see a few sights…_

_I wonder what Carlisle is planning for tonight, _Esme thought as she unpacked the case into the hotel wardrobe.

I smiled to myself at how sweet a couple they were. Suddenly the bathroom door opened, and Bella came out in her towel. She was completely dry, and hadn't even got in the shower yet.

"I forgot my shampoo," she said, blushing.

I smiled warmly at her, my eyes glittering with an idea. "I'll bring it in for you."

Bella looked back at me with wide eyes, then giggled. She dropped the towel and went back through into the bathroom. I could hear the shower starting and the doors open and close as she got in.

I stripped quickly and found her strawberry shampoo. I left my pile of clothes on the bed, and then went through into the bathroom. She was facing the other way in the shower, towards the wall, and was just wetting her hair. I opened the door a crack, so as not to let cold air into the shower, and slipped in with her.

"Hello Edward," she said, not turning around. Her voice was light and amused.

I flipped open the shampoo bottle and poured a bit out onto my hand, then put my hands in her hair and began massage it onto her head. She leant back against my chest and sighed with contentment.

"When you were human," Bella said cautiously, "Did you wash in a shower?"

"No," I said, "I washed in a bath."

"What kind of bath?"

"A metal one," I answered.

Bella was silent for a few moments. I gently nudged her under the water and began to rinse out her hair, still massaging.

"You should write a textbook," Bella said slowly, "It would be all correct."

I thought for a moment. I suppose she was right!

"If you think I'd write a good textbook, then just think of a book written by Caius, Marcus or Aro!" I said, grinning to myself. They had experienced thousands and thousands of years of history. Their contribution would be a goldmine to historians! The only problem would be the fact that they had no proof, and they couldn't exactly tell people they had experienced the events themselves…

"Who are Caius, Marcus and Aero?" Bella asked.  
"Aro," I corrected. I had forgotten I hadn't told her about the Volturi. Did she need to know? Not really. It might just scare her unnecessarily when at the present moment they were no threat to us. "Just some of Carlisle's old friends."

"Oh," Bella said, and seemed to accept that description. I think she was too distracted by my hands in her hair, and my intoxicating natural vampire smell, which was intensified by the water.

"Do you use conditioner?" I asked.

Bella nodded her head, and bent down to pick up the bottle from the floor of the shower. I repeated the massaging process. The shower was actually a very good place to be naked with Bella (A/N: HA! LOL) because the coldness of my skin was balanced out by the hot water, so Bella wouldn't get cold.

"And how about shower gel?"

Bella grinned to herself.

"What?" I asked. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't normally use shower gel," Bella admitted, "But… if it means you are going to massage my whole body, then you are extremely welcome to use some on me."

I spun her around so she was facing me, and put my hands on her cheeks. They were warm. She laid her face against my chest, her hands on my hips.

I hugged her close to me. "I love you," I whispered into her wet hair.

I felt her smile against my chest. "I love you more."

I snorted to myself, _was that even possible? _

"Now where is that shower gel?" I asked.

Bella passed me the bottle.

"Rose?" I said, looking at the fragrance of the stuff.

"Alice brought it for me in the corner shop," Bella answered, "It was the most expensive one. Alice thinks that means it's the best."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled. Alice just liked spending money.

I started at Bella's shoulders, careful to not press as hard as I would if I was giving a vampire a massage. Not that I'd ever done that. I worked my way down to her waist, and then over her stomach, and upwards. My hands stopped.

"Don't miss out the best part," Bella whispered.

My hands carried on up to her breasts. She moaned quietly as I massaged them.

"Where next?" I whispered, my lips at her ear. She put her hands over mine, and led them down to her thighs. Once I'd massaged them, I was about to bend down and massage her legs and feet, but she squealed loudly. I stood up quickly. Bella was squirming around in the shower.

"What is it?" I said urgently.

"The water's gone cold!" Bella squeaked.

I hadn't even noticed. I swept her up bridal style into my arms, and jumped out of the shower, flicking the water off. I ran into the bedroom with her, and put her down. Her towel was still on the floor. I wrapped her up in it, rubbing her shoulders to try and warm her with the friction, and led her over to stand next to the radiator. At that moment, the hotel room doorbell rang.

Bella looked up at me. "Who is it?"

I listened for their thoughts. It was someone bringing up the room service I had ordered. I told Bella.

"You answer it," she said.

I started to walk towards the door but Bella's laughter stopped me.

"What?" I said.

"You can't just answer the door naked!" she laughed.

I looked down at myself. If I could have blushed, I would have done. "Thanks for telling me before I gave the room service person the shock of their life," I said, grabbing some trousers and boxers from the bed. I pulled them on quickly, and the doorbell rang again. I didn't have time to get my shirt, so I just went over to the door and yanked it open.

It was a woman at the door. As soon as she saw me, she gasped with astonishment.

_He's so beautiful, _she thought, _I've never seen someone so perfect in all my life. His wife or girlfriend is a lucky person!_

I gave her a dazzling smile for not deciding to hit on me, like lots of others did. She looked a bit out of it, like she was in shock.

"I-I'm here because y-you ordered room service," she said, her eyes fixed on mine. She had a tray in her hands, with the food I had ordered for Bella on it.

"Thank you," I said, taking the tray from her, being careful that my hands didn't touch hers. She would be even more surprised if she felt the freezing temperature of my hands.

She stood there for a few more seconds, staring.

_Great, _I thought, _now I can incapacitate people by them just looking at me! As if I need any other advantages over humans!_

I heard footsteps behind me, and Bella's sweet voice call. "Who is it, Edward?"

I turned around and smiled at her. "Your food is here."

Bella came up to stand next to me in her towel, her hand on my shoulder. She stood looking at the woman in the doorway, putting one arm around my waist protectively.

The sight of Bella seemed to be just the thing she needed to kick her back into reality.

_Oh, _the woman thought, _that girl is so beautiful, too!_

I pulled my wallet out of my trouser pocket, and passed her 40 dollars. "Thank you very much," I said, and then closed the door on her.

"What was that for?" Bella said.

"She agreed with me," I said, dazzling Bella with my 'smouldering eye-trick'.

"O-on what point?" Bella said, her heartbeat speeding up.

I swept a piece of hair behind Bella's ear, and kissed her softly. "She thought you were overwhelmingly beautiful- as do I."

Bella smiled and took my hand in her small one. She led me back to the bed.

I sat down beside her, holding her close. The tray was resting on my lap.

"That looks delicious," Bella said.

I took the fork, speared some fish, and fed it to Bella. We carried on like this until the whole main course was finished.

There was a small side bowl, with cherries dipped in chocolate on it. Bella eyed it up with a stunning smile on her face.

"You like cherries, then?"

"I love them," Bella said.

I picked up the cherry in my fingers, and held it in front of her lips. She sucked the chocolate off the cherry first, and then ate the actual cherry, spitting the pip into her palm and then placing it back on the tray.

"Mmmm," she said. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to try a cherry, Edward?"

"I can't eat human food," I said, "It makes me sick."

"But they're so delicious!"

"Hmm," I said, feeding her another few cherries in the same way. "I have another way I can try them."

"Oh yes?" Bella said between mouthfuls. She swallowed. The bowl was empty now.

I moved the tray to the floor, then shuffled closer to Bella. She looked up at me with curiosity in her eyes, as I leant down and kissed her deeply. At first, she was still- thinking- but as she began to get the idea, she opened her mouth. I slipped my tongue into her mouth, tasting the sweetness of the cherry on her tongue.

I leant back after a while, to let her breathe.

"You should try food more often," Bella grinned.

"I will," I whispered.

"I can't wait until we get married!"

"Neither can I," I said, my heart singing in my chest. I took her hand and watched as the diamond on the ring sparkled.

"Are you sure you didn't chop some part of your anatomy off to make this ring?" Bella asked, with a cheeky grin on her face, "It looks exactly like your skin when it sparkles."

"Did you see anything _missing_ in the shower?" I answered in the same tone.

"Nope," Bella said, "Everything was _perfectly_ in place."

I pulled her onto my lap, laughing, burying my face in her newly washed hair. It was starting to dry naturally. I wondered if she could be bothered to dry it with a hairdryer.

_I wonder if I'll be interrupting if I knock on their door now, _I heard someone think. I recognised the 'voice' as Alice. _I don't want Edward to throttle me if they're in the middle of something…_

"You can come in, Alice," I said, at normal conversation sound level. I knew she would hear.

"Alice is here?" Bella said, getting out of bed and pulling on her pyjamas quickly. She had just got back into bed again with me, when Alice came in. With Carlisle and Esme and Jasper in tow, too.

"You can sit down, if you like," I said with a smile. They all piled onto the bed. Alice chucked me my shirt.

"So what did you want?" I asked, pushing my arms through the material and buttoning up the shirt.

_I wanted to tell you about a vision, _Alice thought, _I haven't told any of the others yet. _

I raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. Alice nodded, and I closed my eyes.

I dimly heard someone say, "I hate it when they have conversations in their heads…", but I didn't process the words because I was seeing Alice's vision in her mind.

_Victoria was sitting at table with another man, talking urgently in an extremely low voice. The hum of a washing machine in the background made it impossible to hear her words. The doorbell rang… and Victoria stood up, snatching something from the hands of the man next to her and stuffing it quickly into a pocket, in the tight-fitting leather dress she was wearing. She nodded at him, gesturing frantically. He disappeared into a backroom, and Victoria's face broke out into a smile as she flung open the front door…_

I opened my eyes.

_Do you think the others need to know about the vision? _Alice said.

I nodded once.

_They know about the Prophecy, _Alice said, _I'm sorry… Jasper wheedled it out of me. And Carlisle told Esme. _

I shrugged.

_You don't mind? _Alice thought.

"I think they need to know," I said out loud, too quickly for anyone but a vampire to hear. I didn't want Bella getting suspicious about what we weren't telling her.

_Bella doesn't know about the Prophecy… you don't want to tell her, do you?_

I shook my head.

_Shall I tell the others about the vision, then? _Alice thought.

I nodded once.

_We're all going out tonight, _Alice thought, _but we'll see you in the morning. Assuming you still want to go and see Victoria?_

I nodded. Alice would understand how much I needed to know this, to put my mind and heart at rest before I married Bella.

Alice smiled at me and took Jasper's hand. She silenced him with a look as she pulled him out of the hotel room.

"We're going to a nightclub," she said for Bella's benefit, but I heard her go into Esme and Carlisle's room to wait for them first. She would tell them everything.

Carlisle turned to me, _what was that all about?_

"Alice will tell you everything," I said out loud, too quickly for Bella to catch.

"Why aren't you telling Bella about the Prophecy?" Esme said even quicker.

"She doesn't need to know," I said, "The Prophecy is not definite at all. She doesn't need to bother about it. If she knew, she would just worry."

"I trust your judgement, Edward," Carlisle said as he and Esme reached the door, "Be careful until tomorrow."

The door closed with a snap behind them.

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**I'm sorry if you think nothing much happened in this chapter… it was kind of a filler while I got my thoughts together on what will happen when they go and see Victoria in the next chapter. Please tell me seriously what you thought of it. **

**Another reason why I didn't update as soon as I said I would, was that I have written a full-sized novel of my own… and I am going through the motions of trying to get it published. It is an extremely difficult and time-consuming process… wish me luck!**

**Did you know that only half a percent of manuscripts sent into publishers in Britain and America get published? That's one in two hundred people!! I am just hoping that that one person will be me!**

**So I would really appreciate constructive criticism- general or specific. General comments on my writing style, the pace of my writing, the tension levels throughout the story, character development, etc, would be like a goldmine to me! **

**Thank you for reading this awfully long Author's Note!!  
CullenLove xxx**


	30. Mind Games

Disclaimer: I don't own nuffink. (Says with a cockney accent)

**OOOOOoooooOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooOOO**

**Edward's POV**

"What was that all about?" Bella asked as soon as the door shut.

"Alice just came in to tell us she was going to a nightclub," I said, my dead heart squeezing. It hurt to lie to Bella. It was wrong.

_I'm doing it to save her from pain, _I thought, _she would only worry if she knew. It's for the best. _

I had to repeat that fact to myself countless times while persuading Bella nothing was wrong. After ten minutes, a confused exchange, and a bit of dazzling, she believed me.

Shaking off the guilt that hung over me at deceiving her, I slipped back into bed next to her. She snuggled up to me, her small body as close as she could get it to mine. I felt the comfort of her nearness ease my worries, and my mind slipped into a blank state of contentment.

Throughout the night, Bella was quiet. On normal nights, she muttered in her sleep, moved restlessly, or at least breathed loudly, but tonight, she was still and silent. I didn't like to admit to myself how much this bothered me. She was like a corpse, pale and motionless. I almost woke her, but her steady heartbeat was finally the thing that calmed me.

Esme and Carlisle arrived back at one o'clock. I gratefully heard them creep along the corridor so as not to wake Bella, and go into their room. For the rest of the night their thoughts were dimmed, and I was thankful for their consideration. It was almost daylight by the time I heard Alice and Jasper tramping along the corridor, Alice complaining loudly that the lift had been switched off for the night and it had taken her two extra minutes to get to her room.

And I lay silently with Bella while the raging winds and rain lashed against the window.

**Alice's POV**

"I can't believe those people," I moaned to Jasper, hand-in-hand with him. "They turned the lift off! What are people who come in late supposed to do? So, we have to walk- well run at vampire speed- ALL the way up seven flights of stairs in the complete blackness!"

"Alice," Jasper said smoothly and quietly, his low voice blending into the silent blackness of the corridor, "Hush… Bella is sleeping."

"Oh, yes! I forgot!" I said, and couldn't help giggling.

Jasper dropped my hand to get the key out of his pocket, and fitted it into the lock. The door swung open with a small click and we stepped inside. I didn't bother switching the light on… we could see perfectly well without it.

"What are we going to do now?" I said. "It's going to be three hours, ten minutes and five seconds before Bella wakes up."

Jasper was silent for a few seconds. I heard the door swing closed behind us, and then his quiet footsteps as he crossed the room to me. I felt his hands on my shoulders, trailing slowly down my back… until they reached my hips. I jumped as I felt his lips press against the side of my neck.

"I can think of a few things…" he purred.

I was about to answer when I felt a staggering electric-like charge ripple through me. It bucked my knees, and sent me crashing to the ground. My eyes flickered closed; I recognised this feeling. This was a massive shift in the future, a decision so big that would affect the lives of people I loved most, forever. I waited patiently for the vision.

It came at first in wisps of consciousness, like the tendrils of smoke from a small fire. I felt them wrap themselves around me, bringing flashes of the future to play behind my eyes…

_Bella weeping…_

_The flash of a forest scene, the tips of trees stretching towards the sky…_

_Blood running down the blade of a knife…_

And then the tendrils began to mass together, forming larger pictures. But they flashed by so fast, I couldn't catch them. I reached out a hand, tried to grab at understanding, but they slipped away.

And then in such startling clarity that made me blink, Victoria's face rippled onto the pool of my mind…

_Alice. _

I jumped at the mention of my name.

_Alice… _she whispered again, and her chalk-white lips curved up in a mocking smile.

_I can see you…_

I frowned- wasn't this what they said in horror movies…?

Victoria's voice spread around me in echoes- quietly fading away to whispers.

_I can see you, Alice, _she said again. Then I heard her mocking laugh.

_I can see your scared face, _more laughter; _you don't know what to think! Your lips are as white as snow. And there's your mate, shaking your motionless body. He's worried about you, you know…_

_JASPER? _I thought.

_Oh, is that his name? I expect I'll be seeing him later today… _

_How do you know? What are you laughing at? _I thought back.

_Ah… my power, Alice. It works much like yours. _

_How are you speaking to me? _I asked her through my mind, _and why?_

_One of my friends can control and project thoughts, _Victoria said, _he's doing this for me. _

_Why?_

_I asked him to, _Victoria giggled.

I felt a drop of ice slide down my spine. Something was wrong… Victoria knew too much.

And then I felt cold lips on my neck, and hands on my arms, shaking, shaking. I heard my name being whispered urgently, and Victoria's face became more blurred, and slipped away.

She was replaced by Jasper.

"ALICE!" I felt myself being pressed against him. He held my head against his chest, and kissed me over and over.

"Jasper," I whispered.

"What happened?" he said.

"I had a vision," I said.

"A vision!" Jasper said, "For about three hours straight?"

"I was lying there for three hours?" I asked quietly.

"Yes!" he said, "I was so worried…"

And then I noticed the mass of other people in the room. Esme sitting on the bed, watching me anxiously, Carlisle standing beside me, a calm but concerned look on his face, and Edward, leaning against the doorframe.

"Where's Bella?" I asked.

"Getting dressed," Edward answered.

"Are you alright?" Esme said, kneeling down to hug me.

"I'm fine," I said against her shoulder. "I just had a vision."

"What was it about, dear?" Esme asked, sitting back on the bed.

"Victoria," I said. "I can't explain what happened… it was like she put me in a trance. I was having a vision at first, just small flashes of the future, and then she made a massive decision. It shifted the whole course of the future. And then she appeared in my mind, and _spoke to me_."

"What?!"

"It's never happened before," I said.

"What did she say?" Edward pressed.

"She told me she could see me," I said, puzzled.

"She told you she could _see _you?" Edward exclaimed.

"Horror movie crap," I said, "She was probably just trying to scare me. She looked like she was having fun; laughing manically, you know the way it goes."

I was trying to fool them I wasn't scared. I'm not sure it worked. Edward knew what I was doing at once, and raised an eyebrow.

"Victoria the vampire," Jasper said, "Playing mind games?"

"I know," I said, "She told me it wasn't her power. It was apparently _one of her friend's._"

This shocked them into silence straight away.

"Victoria has friends?" Edward whispered.

I might have found that funny if not for the circumstance.

"_Vampire _friends?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes," I said, "It was one of their powers to project images and thoughts into people's minds."

"She could have been lying."

"About what?" I said. "The fact she has friends? Why would she do that?"

"To scare us?" Edward offered.

"I don't see a motive for that," Carlisle said.

"She knows we're coming," I said, "She told me that she would see Jasper later today."

Jasper stiffened beside me. I felt his hands pull me closer against his chest. "There are five of us," Jasper growled, "We can protect ourselves." The remark had angered him. He was eager for a fight.

I saw Edward nodding with agreement beside the door.

Esme was wringing her hands.

"I have an idea," I said. They all turned to look at me. "We could get close enough so that Edward can hear their thoughts, and then he could tell us how many there were of them."

That comment was met with immediate agreement.

I heard a clatter and then footsteps, and Bella appeared in the doorway.

"Ready to go?" she said brightly, putting her hand around Edward's waist, and not noticing the thoughtful and slightly worried looks of most of the room.

"Yes," Edward said commandingly, "Come on, everyone."

We had no choice, now.

We trooped out of the hotel rooms, and met downstairs in the lobby. I tried to shake off the feeling of worry and anxiousness as Carlisle hailed a cab.

**Bella's POV**

I felt like they were keeping something from me. I knew it was irrational, and probably slightly paranoid, but I still felt it, all the same. I couldn't quite pinpoint where this suspicion had come from, but it might have been the slightly paler faces of everyone when I had entered the room, or the slightly 'off' way in which they only answered my direct questions and didn't speak amongst themselves when I was talking to Edward.

Or it might have been the anxious looks of worry Edward shot me when he thought I wasn't looking. It might even have been the way the five vampires packed closely around me as soon as we arrived on the right street, like they were escorting me- my personal bodyguards.

The houses in this street were mostly all the same. A small front garden, a large three story Victorian house, and a rustic peeling front gate. Seriously- this sort of thing in America? It looked like it was out of one of my Jane Austen novels. Very proper.

"Is this it?" I asked unnecessarily as Edward found the right house number and he unbolted the gate, going first.

He just nodded, and paused a moment to look back at me before he knocked on the door. Alice grabbed my hand, and it felt colder than normal. I wondered if this was what a clammy vampire hand felt like.

There was complete silence for a few seconds. The doorbell had finished echoing, and no one was coming to the door just yet. And then it was suddenly yanked open, causing Edward to involuntarily leap backwards, almost landing on Alice.

"Hello!" A smiling voice greeted us. The woman in front of us had a shock of blood red hair, and eyes to match. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped, her body was lithe and slim, and her lips were like perfect curves set against the snowy backdrop of her skin. "How may I help you?"

"My name is Edward Cullen," he said politely, "I have read one of your books."

"Oh yes?" Victoria said, a smile curving her lips.

"The Prophecy of the Blood Berries," Edward continued, "And I have a few questions about it."

"A few _questions_? You'd like to talk," Victoria said, "Vampire-to-vampire, you mean?"

"If you're asking if that's what we are…" Edward said, "Then yes."

Victoria's smile grew. Then it faded as quickly as it had come. "_This one_-" and here she sharply jabbed her head in my direction, "-isn't one of _us_."

"No," Edward said, frowning. "She isn't. But she knows what we are."

"Then you should be dead," Victoria said flatly.

Edward nodded. "Fair point."

_What? _I thought, _had he broken some rule by telling me?_

"The Volturi should be after you," Victoria said.

"They don't know," Edward said, "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't let them know."

Victoria nodded. "Alright." She stood aside, and gestured into the depths of her house. "Come in."

Edward paused for a fraction of a second, and then filed past her. As I followed Alice inside the house, I saw Victoria tense slightly as I passed close to her.

"Could you please wait here for a moment?" Victoria said as she closed the door behind us all. Esme was looking slight uncomfortable.

"Of course," Carlisle answered.

Victoria turned off from the hallway, and went into another room. She shut the door behind her, and I heard the footsteps fade.

"How many are there?" Alice asked after a few seconds.

"Two," Edward said. "Her and a male vampire."

"I expect that's who she's gone to see now," Carlisle answered, and before anyone could reply, Victoria was back.

**Victoria's POV**

I laughed to myself- I had them in my grasp! It was only a matter of time before they were mine. The human especially. How good her blood would taste… after I'd played around with her first, of course!

I left them standing in the hall, and went to see James and the rest of my 'friends'. I really had no interest in any of the seven vampires I had enlisted to help me, but their skills were perfect.

And with James and I, that made nine.

The coven that had just come through my door had _no chance. _

"Victoria?" James whispered as I entered the hidden back room where all the vampires were waiting.

"Yes," I said, "They're here."

"And when will we get our pay for doing this?" one of the seven said. He was the one I had asked to peer into Alice's vision, and send her the message. It was only a test of his power, but it was very interesting.

"You promised you would pay us," another woman said. She was taller than me, and had long black hair that flowed down her back. She was the cat of the group- fierce and unpredictable. And most of all, ruthless.

"We're not doing this for nothing," another man said. He and his twin were both vampires… the brawn of the group. One had no powers, but the other, cleverer twin, could block thoughts. That was how I was preventing Edward from reading the thoughts of everyone but James and I. He had no idea that a whole army- small, but nevertheless, very skilled- were on his case! How perfect was my plan? How skilled my mind!

And I would bring them _all _down!

OOOOOoooooOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOO

Yeah, I know… I promised action. But this chapter had to come first. And if I added the action part onto the end of it, it was too long a chapter. But I hoped you enjoyed this chapter anyway! It _was _long anyway, even without my action bit!

The action chapter will the next one, I promise, and it will come soon!  
CullenLove xx

Ps. REVIEW and it'll be faster! (I may even post it tomorrow if I get a lot of reviews!)


	31. Plan Into Motion

**I am SO SORRY that I am updating more than a week after I said I would! I got caught up in one of my other stories, 'Tasting The Wine', and didn't realize I hadn't posted in this one for so long!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. **

**OOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooOOOOOoooooOOOooooooOOOOOO**

**Victoria's POV**

I clenched my fists as I remembered not to forget the most important part of my plan. I would have my revenge- the revenge I had waited so long to taste. In breaking Edward's heart, I would also break Carlisle's.

_Why Carlisle? _I hear you ask. _Well, he ruined my life. _

_Aren't doctors supposed to save people? And he let my best friend die! I swore her revenge at the time, and now I'm a vampire, it'll be even easier!_

"Get ready," I barked to the vampires. "Stay here, and get ready to scare the stupid human."

"What are you going to do?" James asked.

"Feed them a pack of lies," I said, with a sneer on my face.

**Bella's POV**

Victoria sat across the table from us and politely offered me some biscuits in a tin that looked about one hundred years old. I declined with as much grace as I could muster. Vampires didn't eat, so those biscuits could have been in the house since the last owner lived here. I don't think Victoria grasped the idea of food going off. Maybe it was too long since she was human, and she had forgotten.

"So," Victoria said, prompting Edward to speak. "What is it you want?"

"I came to ask about a book, actually," Edward said. "The Prophecy of the Blood Berries?"

"Oh yes?" Victoria said. "What about it?"

"I was wondering…" Edward said, and then paused. "Actually, I was wondering if we could speak in private?"

Victoria raised her eyebrows but then smiled. "Of course," she said sweetly. Too sweetly. "I'll find something for Bella to do."

Victoria came around to my side of the table, and took my hand like I was a little child.

_Why didn't Edward want me in the room? Doesn't he trust the woman that is to become his wife in little under three weeks?_

Victoria led me through the door she had gone through before, and into a small dining room. We then went through another corridor, another room, and down a flight of stairs into a basement.

_How big was this house?_ I thought to myself, _and why is she taking me this far away from Edward?_

I noticed as Victoria opened a door that it was lined with lead. She saw my frightened expression and smiled wickedly, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I felt I clenching in my gut- this didn't feel right.

_Why would Victoria have a soundproof door, which is so heavy, in a normal house? This doesn't feel right. _

My hands became clammy and I wiped them on my jeans as Victoria ushered me into a room. I wanted to go back, but her hand on my shoulders pushed me down into a seat next to a massive dining table. The room was underground, so there were no windows, and it was dingy and dark. At first, I couldn't see anything. The only noise I could hear was the door closing and the scrape of a lock. Victoria came along to sit beside me.

"Now, now, Bella," Victoria said, "This will be much easier if you don't scream."

_This was definitely wrong! _I thought to myself.

"W-what?" I whispered, the weakness of my own voice shaming me. I could feel myself beginning to tremble with fear. I clenched my fists to stop them shaking.

Victoria didn't reply for a second, just waited with a patient expression on her face. I looked about the room, and after a few seconds, my eyes became adjusted to the lack of light. I screamed, as eight dark figures appeared in my line of vision.

"Now, Bella," Victoria said, suddenly becoming angry, "I thought I told you not to scream?"

"Edward can't hear you," another voice said, as the eight silhouettes sauntered towards me. The flickering candle in the middle of the table illuminated their faces, one by one. Two young men, a Japanese woman, a man with a crop of silver hair, a man with dark brown hair and a scar on his left cheek, two men who looked practically the same…

They all had shocking scarlet eyes, just like Victoria.

"That's right, James," Victoria crooned. "Edward can't come and save you now."

"What are y-you going to do to me?" I croaked.

"Just get something straight," Victoria said. She put her hand in her pocket, and my eyes widened in fear when she took out a knife. Before I knew it, she had shot over to me at vampire speed. I was slammed against a back wall, and the knife was pressed against my neck.

"Now listen, and listen carefully, Bella," Victoria snarled. "I wont say this twice. Do you hear me?"

I nodded my head ever so slightly, terrified. Run, or scream? I couldn't do the first, and it would be pointless doing the second. I would never get away.

"There are nine vampires in this room," Victoria said, "And we have powers you can't even imagine. One word from me, and your beloved Edward would be screaming on the floor in pain, isn't that right?"

The other vampires sneered the affirmative, coming closer, blocking me off on all sides.

The cold blade of the knife pressed against my neck, not yet drawing blood. Victoria's cold hands made me shiver, but I was terrified to move.

"We could take your miserable family down in a second," Victoria said, "They would be easy prey: unprepared, surprised, over-powered… and we have no qualms about doing so. If you don't do what I say exactly as I say it, when I say it has to be done, we will kill your family in front of you."

"And save Edward for last," the Japanese cat-like woman said, an excited look in her manic eyes. "I would especially enjoy him…"

"NO!" I shouted, but Victoria grabbed my arm and sliced the knife down my wrist. I screamed in pain, knees collapsing. Victoria easily held me up against the wall with one hand, so I didn't sink to the floor.

Tears splattered out of my eyes, pouring down my cheeks. I ignored the searing pain in my arm.

"Please, I'll do anything," I whispered, "Just don't hurt Edward!"

The man Victoria referred to as James grabbed my arm and put his lips against it, sucking the blood that was pouring out. He made a sound that was much like a groan of pleasure, his tongue flicking against my wound. I could feel the pressure as he began to drain my arm of all its blood. My vision blurred, and I became limp. Victoria let me drop, and I slid down the wall.

"James," Victoria said, "That's enough."

James ignored her, leaning closer to me. He squeezed my arm between his granite fingers so the blood came flowing out quicker. I began to feel light-headed, and spots kept broke out in my vision.

Suddenly, my eyesight began to tunnel and all I could see was the table leg in front of me. That was when I heard a shout as Victoria yanked James away from me, swearing at him.

"I said, that's enough!" Victoria yelled, "If you kill her, my plan will be useless! We need the girl!"

"Please don't hurt Edward," I moaned.

Victoria leant down beside me. "I wont hurt him. I wont lay a finger on him if you do exactly as I say."

I nodded weakly. "I promise," I whispered.

Victoria smiled, the first proper smile I had seen on her face. She began to bandage up my arm, cleaning it first and then binding the wound together with some form of medical tape. I watched her blankly as she finished, and handed me a jumper.

"Wear this," she said.

I put it on quickly.

"Don't let Edward see you're hurt," Victoria ordered. "And I want you to act completely normal. We wouldn't want him to catch on."

I nodded again, too scared to do anything else.

"And in the morning, ask him to let you out of the room to get a coffee in the hotel restaurant. I don't care how you do it, but go alone. And when he lets you out of his sight, get a taxi and meet me at the station. I will be waiting for you," she paused, "Oh, and before you leave, hide a letter somewhere he will find it later."

"A letter?" I whispered, trembling.

"James will tell you what to write," Victoria said, and then stood up. "Eat this." She passed me a bar of chocolate. "Eat it all. I want you to get your strength back up so Edward's doesn't notice anything."

She then walked over to the door, nodding to the other vampires.

"Where are you going?" I muttered.

"I'm going to speak to Edward," Victoria said, "I'm going to answer his questions." Then she grinned so evilly it made me whimper.

"Don't hurt him!" I shouted as she opened the door, and disappeared.

James went over to the door, and locked it again.

"So…" he growled as he came back over to me, grabbing me by the arm and forcing me back into the chair I had been sitting on before.

"What?" I whispered.

James came around to stand behind me, and I felt his cold breath on the back of my neck. I shivered, and I heard a ghostly chuckle in my ear. Suddenly, I felt his cold lips against my neck, and I almost jumped out of my chair.

"Your blood was…" James said, "_Delicious._"

I shivered again. I felt two freezing hands rest on my shoulders as James leaned closer, his disgusting breath blowing down the front of my shirt. I struggled, but his hands stroked down my sides and came to rest on my waist.

"Edward can't hear you," James laughed as he slipped his hands under my shirt and over my stomach, slamming me back against the chair. He was acting like the other vampires weren't even here. They were watching with amused looks on their faces.

"Please," I moaned, "Please, don't!"

I felt one of James's hands slip out from under my shirt and begin to stroke my hair. His touch was creepily tender.

"Stop it, please," I said again, begging now.

James spun the chair around so I was facing him, and straddled me. He was very heavy, and my legs began to hurt. I felt sick with him so close to me, his legs wrapped around mine. He pinched my chin between two fingers and forced me to look at him.

"You know you like this," he breathed as his other hand slipped down my back to rest on my butt. I involuntarily clenched up, and he smiled. "I told you so."  
"Let me go," I pleaded.

He shook his head, and leaned forward slowly. I tried to struggle, but it was no use. He wasn't letting me move an inch.

A shock of fear and disgust swept through my as his icy lips touched mine. He pressed harder, until my lips began to swell up and throb. I tried to shout, but all that came out was a muffled cry. I pushed against his chest with my hands, but he didn't even notice.

_How far was he going to go? I needed to get away! Would I risk it?_

I decided in a second and jabbed my elbow as hard as I could into his crotch. With a muffled yelp, he jumped backwards off me, crashing into the table.

The other vampires broke out in laughter, and I bolted towards the door. I slammed my fists against it, and screamed, but the vampires made no move to stop me.

_Edward can't hear me…_ I thought again. _NO!_

I felt two icy cold arms wrap around my waist and drag me backwards.

"LET ME GO!" I screamed again. It was pointless- I was utterly and completely at their mercy.

OOOOooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOO

I don't know if you realized, but this chapter was longer than I normally post. That is because I wanted to apologise for my lack of punctuality in posting, and because I am feeling this story is beginning to draw to a close…

Please, please REVIEW!

CullenLove


	32. Prophecy: Out Of Mind, But Out Of Sight?

**I don't care what music you listen to, but if you listened to something in the background while you read this, it would make the experience better!**

**I am a firm believer that music helps create a mood and make something more powerful. I love music so much… I have about a trillion artists on my iPod **

**Disclaim. : Don't ownio**

**OOOOOOoooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOO**

**Edward's POV**

Victoria came back into the room, looking smug for some reason. The back of my neck prickled with intuition, but I don't know what sort of message my body was trying to tell me. Was it excitement that I would finally get answers? Was it foreboding?

_Now, back to business… _Victoria thought.

_I hope Edward knows what he's doing, _Esme said, _I very much dislike being here. I hope his questions can be answered as soon as possible, so we can go. _

"What did you want to know?" Victoria said, resting her head on her hands and staring intensely at me. Her eyes connected with mine, and I looked deep into them, trying to read the answers to my questions straight out of her mind. But, as normal, I couldn't find out unless she actually thought about it herself.

"Why did you write the book? Where did you get the idea for the Prophecy? Is it true? Who is the 'Prince'? How do you know?" I started with a couple of the many questions I had.

"I wrote the book because I felt like it," Victoria said, "My power was telling me that I should write it."  
"Your power?" I inquired.

She stared at me again, deliberating in her mind whether or not to tell me. "I have a complex, accurate form of intuition," she said, "It's always right. Instinct, you could say."

"So you just _know _some things?" I said with a frown. "That doesn't sound very… exact." _Or reliable. _

_She's telling the truth, _Alice thought, _I saw her using her power in a vision. It does work. It _is _exact, somehow. _

"Hmm," I said. "So, my next question…"

"I got the idea for the Prophecy from my power," Victoria said, "And of course it's true!"

**Bella's POV**

His freezing hands around my waist dragged me backwards, and smashed me into his body.

"Don't be so rough," the Japanese vampire said. She seemed to be the leader of the group, under Victoria, of course. "You might break her."

"Edward would notice if we handed him back a corpse," another vampire sniggered, "Give him some credit."

"He watches her every second of the day," one of the twins said, "A bit sick, actually, his infatuation with her. Unhealthy, and unnatural."

"What a pervert," the female vampire sniggered.

"You're calling _Edward _a pervert?" The cleverer twin said, "Then what is James classed as?"

The vampires laughed loudly, their musical voices creating a melody that was both beautiful and frightening.

"Now, now," James said, "I'll bet Edward's done much more than this to her…"

And his icy cold hands travelled up from my waist to rest on the front of my shirt. I squealed, and tried to move, but his arms were like a cage around me. He moved his hands in a circular motion, pressing my breasts. I tried to kick him, but his legs wrapped around mine to stop me moving. I don't know how he managed to stand up at the same time, but being a vampire, he could balance easily.

My skin crawled.

_I'm going to have bruises all over tomorrow, _I whimpered in my mind. _Oh, tomorrow! I'm going to have to leave a letter for Edward tomorrow… how can I possibly do this to him?_

I struggled again; thinking of Edward had given me a fresh burst of energy to escape. But it was like pushing against a brick wall with my bare hands.

"I think you're getting distracted," the female vampire said to James, "And we wouldn't want that. We get paid when the job is done, and the job will never be done if you kill the girl."

She sauntered over to me, her long black hair shining in the light from the candle. She grabbed James's wrist, and yanked it away from me. I toppled over backwards and hit the ground, as my legs suddenly went weak.

James struck back at her, striking her in the neck, and she growled fiercely and did a sharp roundhouse kick which hit him in the chest, and sent him smashing into the opposite wall.

"Don't mess with Anya," one of the other vampires sniggered.

His pride damaged, James sprung right up and shot across the room faster than I could follow. One minute, he was straightening up, and the next he had lifted Anya by the legs and had smashed her head first into the ground. She hissed and spat, and twisted like a snake out of his grip. Her body moved like liquid, and it was easy to see why Victoria had picked her. I saw her snap both of James's arms behind his back.

"If you don't stop digressing from the plan, I'll pull these arms right off," Anya snarled. "And snap your neck for good measure."

James knew she was stronger than him, and nodded stiffly. When she let him go, he went straight over to the far corner of the room, his eyes flashing at me with hatred. His gaze was like acid; it corroded and cut me right to the soul.

"Right," Anya said, pulling her sleeves, "Human, get over here."

I walked over to the chair she was holding, and then she shoved the chocolate bar into my hands, ordering me to eat.

Once I had finished, she slapped a piece of paper onto the table in front of me, and handed me a pen. I looked up into her sharp eyes, and whispered, "What do I write?"

**Edward's POV**

_She isn't giving me answers, damn it! Just stupid digressing questions and vague answers!_

I slammed my fists down on the table in anger.

I felt Carlisle's hand on my shoulder, gentle but firm.

_Don't do it Edward, _Carlisle said, _it's not worth it. Let's just go, and you can forget about the Prophecy. _

_Edward, please, can we go now? _Esme thought, _I want to see Bella. I want to get to planning your wedding!_

_My visions aren't working… _Alice thought curiously to herself. _I feel blind…_

_I wonder when Emmett and Rosalie's plane leaves?_ Jasper thought.

I sighed. "Thank you for your help," I said stiffly, and stood up, my fists clenched at my side.

Victoria grinned widely, her teeth glittering, and reached for my hand.

I moved it away at first… _be polite, be polite! _… then moved it back.

I shook her hand, with a grip that would crush anything but diamond.

"Please, come this way," Victoria said, leading me towards the door.

"Wait," I said, stopping. "Bella."

"Oh yes, the human…" Victoria said, as if she had forgotten, "I thought you might forget! I did, completely!"

My eyes narrowed and darkened a couple of shades.

"I'll go and get her!" Victoria said, and scurried off.

Victoria came back five minutes later, just when I was about to rage through the house and find Bella myself.

Before I could even look at Bella, Victoria caught my gaze in her intense one, and winked at me, then slammed the door against my back. The rest of my family had gone down the steps before me, Alice holding Bella's hand.

I frowned and followed them. The whole visit had been a waste of time.

**Bella's POV**

I had just managed to dodge onto Alice's left side, so she would take my right hand to hold. If she had tried to hold my left hand, the one where Victoria had cut open my wrist, I would have yelped in pain and blown my cover. I had to do this right, I had to persuade these all-knowing vampires that nothing was wrong, or they would all die. Their lives were in my hands, and I had to save them, whatever the cost.

"Bella, love?" Edward said.

I turned to look at him, and forced a smile onto my face. Looking at him then almost killed me. I was going to hurt him so much, but I was going to save his life.

"Yes?" I said, making my voice sound stronger than I felt.

Edward held out his hand to me, and I dropped Alice's. She immediately took Jasper's, smiling to show me she wasn't offended.

I ran back a few steps to Edward, but instead of just taking his hand, I ran into his arms, hugging him as tight as I could. It might be one of the last times I could do it. One of the last times I would see his angelic face break out into a joyful smile of happiness and true love.

He lifted his arms, and wrapped them around my neck, and then leant back for a sweet chaste kiss. I tried to deepen the kiss straight away, but he pulled back, laughing.

"There'll be plenty of time for that once we're married," he chuckled.

At once, my mood turned from good to despairing. _I will never be able to walk down the aisle with Edward, _I thought, _I will never have a wedding night or the first dance of a marriage. I will never have a new family. I will be stuck in a dysfunctional family where my father doesn't even know my name, and my mother died in a fire at a pub, which she probably started herself!_

"Come on, Bella," Edward said, kissing the back of my hand and pulling me after his family, "Let's go back to the hotel and enjoy what's left of our holiday."

I smiled up at him, but my heart was heavy.

**Edward's POV**

Alice's visions still weren't working. That's all she was thinking as started to walk back to the hotel. On the way back, I had decided to forget about the Prophecy completely. It hadn't affected me yet, apart from when I had let it by becoming worried. Bella would marry me in a couple of weeks, and then I would be the happiest man in the world! There really was nothing I could complain about. I had a wonderful, caring, supportive family, and the most beautiful and kind woman as my fiancée.

I didn't have space in my mind to worry about Alice's lack of visions. Why did it matter, at the moment? We had done without these 'gifts' as humans, why couldn't we now?

"When are Rose and Em getting back?" Alice said, using their short names, which were normally only reserved for partners. But, it was Alice. She used our short names all the time. I think it had actually been her who had made them up.

I hated mine. I had forbidden anyone to say it. Edward was a perfectly respectable name, but when you shortened it to 'Eddie', you lost your pride and manliness at once. And 'Ed' was just a name for people who were trying to be something they weren't.

"Stop thinking that load of rubbish," Alice grinned at me.

"You can read my mind?" I laughed. "What, have I passed my power over to you or something?"

Alice stuck her tongue out. "No, I just know that you are thinking a load of rubbish because it's what you do half the time!"

"And the other half?" Jasper said with an amused look on his face, _is she going to say it? Oh, I think she is…_

"The other half of the time you're thinking about Bella," Alice said.

_Ahh, that was tame, _Jasper thought. _But apparently, teenage boys think about sex seven times a minute, or that's what I've heard… and the only teenage boy here is Edward!_

I growled a rumbling growl from deep in my chest, and Jasper sniggered.

"So, did you answer my question?" Alice said.

"What question?" I said.

Alice sighed. _Boys so dense… _"I asked when Em and Rose were getting back."

"How am I supposed to know?" I said, "You booked the flights."  
"No I didn't!"  
"Then who did?" I said.

Carlisle and Esme were walking slightly ahead of us on the pavement, and Carlisle raised his hand.

"_Carlisle_? Since when did he book flights?" I said.

"Ahh, Edward," Alice said with a wiggle of her eyebrows, "Carlisle is the man who has his sweaty little paws on all of this family's finances."

"Sweaty paws?" Carlisle said from ahead, turning stare at us. "Excuse me?"

Alice grinned innocently.

"That's it," Carlisle said, "I will not have someone half my age mocking me! But unfortunately for you…" Carlisle grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement, "You're right. And that also means your shopping expenses, your credit cards… are all under my control."

"NO!" Alice shouted, knowing what he was getting at. "NOT MY SHOPPING! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

"I'll cut your cards into seventy little pieces…" Carlisle sniggered, and Alice began to scream. Luckily, there were no other people on the street, or they would have jumped out of their skins. Alice began to run back to the hotel, trying to save her precious credit cards that were in her hotel room. Carlisle had a head-start though, and was disappearing around the corner…

_NO, _Alice thought, _I'm going to have to use vampire speed! I can't have him cutting up my beautiful credit cards!_

I saw her form blur and then she turned almost invisible with speed to the human eye, and shot across the road and after Carlisle, almost hitting a car that didn't slow down or see her.

Jasper shook his head, and shot after her, _to keep her out of trouble, I'd better go after her…_

Esme ran after them all, laughing to herself, her caramel curls bouncing as she slipped into vampire speed too.

"Where did they all go?" Bella whispered.

"They went back to the hotel," I said. The street was now empty, apart from us two. I sighed, and squeezed Bella's hand gently. This was how I liked it.

We got back to the hotel in fifteen minutes, and I walked up to the reception.

"May I have my key?" I asked politely.

The man who was behind the counter politely inquired, "Mr. Cullen?"

"Yes," I said. He dropped the silver key into my hand that I had left with him this morning.

_I wonder why I even asked his name, _the man thought, _his face is not one that is easy to forget. _

I smiled to myself as Bella and I took the lift up to our room. The others were somehow already inside our room, and they hadn't had the key… so they must have stolen it from behind the desk and snuck it back once they had opened the door.

I suspected it was Alice who had done the thieving. She was bouncing on my bed, holding her purse.

"So he didn't take your credit cards then?" I said, assuming that she wouldn't be in this mood if he had cut them up. But I also knew that Carlisle had never intended to. He was just messing with her.

"Nope!" Alice said, "We made a compromise!"

_She promised to not spend more than $10,000 a month on clothes, _Carlisle thought to me, with a wink.

"How will you be able to manage that?" I said to Alice.

"I don't know," Alice said, "But I'll find a way!" She beamed at Jasper and kissed him on the lips.

He shrugged his shoulders at me but smiled. _Whatever kisses I'm getting, I won't say no to… _

I listened to his thoughts for a few seconds more, and then he decided on something. He rested one muscled arm around Alice's shoulders, and leaned in to nuzzle her neck.

"Ooh, yes please!" Alice giggled rather loudly, and grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room.

Alice was sure going to have an 'action-packed' night, but I was just happy Bella wanted to be with me at all. _There may be time for all 'that' later… _I thought, and then scolded myself with a slight grin.

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Oh no, I'm just about to smash Edward's happy bubble into millions of little pieces… I feel awfully guilty…

CullenLove


	33. Bathroom Drama, Rape of the Russian!

**Disclaimer: Don't own! **

**(Right, I'm just going to try something now). **

**One reader, Ashley (ps. GO ASHLEY) taught me to do a heart on my keyboard, and I'm just trying it now to see if it works…**

**I was having trouble before, but I hope it works now…**

**Here it is-**



**Oh dear, I don't think its going to work when I post this, I just have this feeling… it's a heart on Word right now though. **

**By the way, ENJOY THIS CHAPTER :P**

**I think the end of it is kinda funny. LOL. **

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**Bella's POV**

As soon as the others had left, and it was just Edward and I in the room, I sighed in relief. It was going to be hard enough to persuade Edward nothing was wrong, without all the others being there too. I had no chance if they were all with me, because sooner or later one of them would notice a passing look of sadness on my face and force an answer out of me.

Edward lay back on the bed, putting his arm around me. I felt his breath on my neck as he kissed my jaw, and then began to work his way down my neck to my collarbone. Every inch of me wanted to turn and kiss him back, but I knew that it would be wrong- he wouldn't believe me tomorrow if I kissed him back now. He had to believe that I didn't love him, or he would come after me and get himself killed. I was doing this to keep him and the rest of them alive, and as Victoria had said, they didn't stand a chance against Victoria and her 'army'.

I stayed completely still as his seductive lips caressed my skin. It took all my energy and concentration not to move, and I was so glad he didn't nibble my ear. If he'd done that, then I wouldn't have been able to stay still. I would have blown my cover completely. It felt so good when his lips and tongue were on my earlobe; I _definitely _would have reacted.

His hand snaked across my body to stroke my stomach with the palm of his hand. It was getting hard to breathe now, let alone stay frozen. He whispered my name in my ear, his sweet, cool breath on my neck making me shiver.

_Oh god, _I thought, _how am I going to be able to do this? We're going to be alone all night, and he's doing this to me… its obvious what he wants, and I want it so much too. He could make this the best night of my life, but I am making it my worst!_

_It's to save him, to save him! _I screamed in my mind.

"Bella…?" he purred.

I couldn't resist. I couldn't.

"Edward," I whispered, "I feel a little sick."

"What? I'll get Carlisle—" he said, at once his voice filled with worry. He jumped off the bed, and ran over to the door.

I caught him just as he had his hand on the doorknob, "No!" I said.

He looked at me slightly puzzled. "What's the matter? Don't you trust Carlisle?"

"No!" I said.

"No?" Edward said, looking slightly hurt.

"No, I mean no, I do trust him!" I said. _God I was just making this worse…_ "Of course I trust him."

"I'll get him then," Edward decided.

"Edward, honestly, its not that bad—" I was actually beginning to feel a little sick. But if Carlisle came over, then he would probably examine me and notice the knife wound on my arm.

"But I will worry," Edward said. "I want to make sure."

I couldn't persuade him not to go. I was going to fail!

I leant back on the bed and pretended to collapse.

"Bella!" Edward yelled, running back over to me. I felt him turn my body gently into the recovery position, and press his hands gently against the inside of my right wrist. "Bella?"

"Yes?" I whispered groggily after a few seconds.

"Oh, thank god! I really do think you need to see Carlisle…"

"Edward, please don't," I begged, "You have a medical degree. Actually, you have two! Please. I want _you_ to stay and look after me."

"But why?"

"I don't want the others to see me in this state," I moaned, I was doing this acting job quite well. Edward believed me. I felt terrible about telling him a lie. "What if I'm sick? It's enough one person being there… in fact, I want to be alone."  
"Bella, I really don't think that's a good idea," Edward advised, his eyes dark gold with worry. "It's okay, I wont get Carlisle. But I wont leave you alone, either."

I nodded, pretending to be sleepy.

He got back into bed next to me, and held me gently against his body. He stroked my hair softly with his hand, and kissed me every few minutes on the top of my head. I relaxed, as he began to hum quietly, his chest vibrating slightly.

The next thing I knew, the sun was shining through the curtains of the room and Edward was curled up next to me, the epitome of contentment and relaxation. His eyes were closed, his long lashes resting against his pale cheeks, but I knew he wasn't asleep. I was satisfied just to stay still and watch him. He didn't know I was awake, and I wanted to look at him properly one last time before I had to leave.

His tousled bronze hair was shining in the rays of early morning sunlight, one part of his hair tucked behind his ear. I studied the colours in his hair that were visible in the light- the gold, the bronze, and the colour that was almost a deep, rich mahogany. My eyes then travelled to his face, where the delicate skin of his eyelids was tinged with purple, and his straight nose was a creamy white. My eyes then devoured his lips, staring for a moment at the slight up curve as he smiled in his daydreams.

His straight, strong jaw, his flawless neck. And then his chest. I smiled slightly in surprise to notice that he was lying in bed next to me in only his black boxers, his beautiful chest bared. He must have taken off most of his clothes in the night. I studied his arms, and his smooth stomach, with slight ripples of muscles that showed under the surface. And then my eyes travelled downwards, and with a slight blush on my cheeks, I forced myself not to stare, but to keep going down until I was looking at his slender, athletic legs.

I sighed as I looked, and his eyes shot open. When he noticed me watching him with a certain look in my eye, a crooked half-smile stretched across his face. I reached my hand out and laid it flat on his stomach, feeling the hard muscle beneath my hand. I closed my eyes, and ran my hands upwards, and across his shoulders, and down his arms. When I reached his hands, he grasped mine firmly and brought them to his lips, kissing my each of my knuckles and once on the back of my hand.

"Good morning," he said softly, his eyes smouldering as he looked up at me from underneath those smoky, dark lashes.

I snapped back into reality from my wondrous temporary heaven. _Morning? Morning! No…! It can't be morning already! _

I thought of the letter that was sitting in the pocket of my handbag, resting against the wall. I turned my face away from Edward and glared at it with all my might.

"Bella?" Edward said, turning me back to face him with his fingertips. As I looked into his golden eyes, and unexplainable pain shot through me. I pressed my eyes closed, and my jaw clenched.

_I am going to hurt him too much, _I thought, _too much! _

_It's to save his life!_

_How will I live without him?_

_How will you live without him? Does it matter if you die, if he gets to live? _A little thought at the back of my mind pressed.

And it was right. I had to do anything- _anything- _I could to make this less painful for him. I had to make him believe me when he read my letter.

And that meant not letting him dazzle me right now. I had to act different!

_Cold, act cold, _I reminded myself as I felt Edward's icy touch run temptingly down my thigh.

"I'm going to take a shower," I said, rolling out of bed and tearing myself away from him. I could see the slight look of hurt that passed across his eyes out of the corner of my eye, before his face went blank.

The water was freezing. I'd left it like that the last time I was in, and I couldn't be bothered to change it. Why should I be comfortable physically, when my mind was falling to pieces?

I dressed quickly, ran a brush through my hair, and scraped it back into a ponytail. When I came in, Edward was sitting on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair, with a troubled look on his face. So quickly I wasn't sure if I had imagined him in that position, he was just lying on the bed, fully clothed, with an impassive look on his face.

I walked straight over to my handbag, and picked it up.

"Where are you going, Bella?" Edward asked softly from the bed.

"Just to get a coffee," I answered back, taking all emotion out of my voice.

Before I could go another step, I felt his arms around my waist, and him lean down to kiss the spot where my neck met my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he whispered soothingly in my ear, "I'm sorry about whatever I've done to make you unhappy."  
"I'm not unhappy," I forced myself to say. "You haven't done anything."

"Nothing is worth tearing us apart," Edward murmured, "To me."

I wanted with all my heart to say the same back to him, but if I did, he wouldn't believe my letter and Victoria would kill him.

"Edward, there is nothing wrong. I just want to get a quick coffee…"

"I'll come with you," he whispered, reaching for his coat.

I took his hand before it reached the wardrobe, and squeezed it. "I'll be fine. I am only going to be gone two minutes."

"I'm going to be worried…"

"Edward, if anything was going to happen to me, Alice would have seen it in a vision." _Not true. Because Victoria is blocking all her visions!_

He was silent for a few seconds, and then nodded. "Alright," he said softly, "But if you're gone longer than half an hour, I'm coming after you."

I nodded, and walked towards the door, the letter in my handbag.

"I love you, Bella," Edward said, as I opened the door.

I smiled warmly at him, but my heart was cold.

_I love you too!_ I screamed in my mind as I walked down the corridor away from him, and towards my personal hell. _Nothing_ had ever hurt so much as this.

**Edward's POV**

As soon as the door had closed behind her, I was pacing the room, running my hands through my hair, biting my lip.

_Something was wrong! I shouldn't have let her go! _I thought to myself. _What if this feeling is a horrible flash of foresight and Bella's going to get hit by a car or something? _

I sunk down onto the bed, and wrung my hands.

_I should go after her! _I thought. I had gotten up and was striding towards the door before I thought, _but then if I go after her, she'll think I don't trust her to come back. And trust is the most important thing in a relationship, according to Alice. _

_Alice! I should ask Alice. _

_I can't ask Alice!_ I thought a second later. _She'll think I'm overreacting again, and she'll go on at me like she always does. She'll say I need to give Bella a little space. _

_A little space, _I thought, dropping back down onto the bed, _I need to give her some space. _

If only I knew the magnitude of the mistake I was making, then space would have been the last thing on my mind.

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Ahaha, I'm ending it there! CLIFFIE ALERT!

No… don't worry, I have niggling feeling that there would be a lot of very angry people if I left it there, and I value my life!

Here is the next part, (just promise to review!)

CullenLove

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**Bella's POV**

The tiny restaurant was overcrowded and noisy. I felt a tear slip down my cheek as I thought of what I was about to do. The man at the counter was young, and I suppose he was handsome, but he didn't match up to Edward.

"A beautiful woman like you shouldn't be crying," he said gently, "I'll give you what you want for free. So what will it be? Tea? Coffee? A muffin?"

"Just a coffee, please," I said quietly, "And thank you."

He smiled warmly, "What table are you taking?"

"Number 13," I answered.

Unlucky thirteen, which was unfortunately (and maybe due to fate?) the only table left empty in the entire restaurant.

"I'll bring it over myself," he smiled.

"I'm just going to the ladies, if you could just leave it on the table…" I said, and he nodded.

I plodded over to the toilets and pushed the door open miserably. I wasn't going to drink the coffee, but I had ordered it because I couldn't bear to lie to Edward any more than I had already in the letter. I'd told him I'd gone to get a coffee, so that's what I'd do. And when he saw it, I knew he would think of me.

The toilets were empty, in stark contrast to the rest of the restaurant. I passed the mirror, not daring to look at my reflection, and went into the far cubicle from the door. I sat on the closed toilet, and put my head in my hands. After a few seconds, when I couldn't put it off any longer, I got the letter out of my handbag. I had to hide it somewhere where Edward would find it, but no one else would.

_Behind the toilet? No… a cleaner might come and find it. _

_Hidden behind the toilet rolls in the machine? No, it might fall out. _

_In the sanitary bin? No, too disgusting! _

I was already making Edward come into the female bathrooms, but making him stick his hand in a sanitary bin to get my letter would be too mean. And I didn't want his beautiful, clean body becoming marred with anyone else's blood.

I was just about to despair and stick the letter behind the toilet, whether a cleaner may find it or not, when I noticed the air vent. It was high up on the wall, but if I could just stand on the toilet… I may be able to reach it.

I hung my handbag on the peg on the back of the cubicle door, and held the letter in my right hand, climbing onto the toilet and steadying myself against the wall with my left hand. I stretched as far as I could, and my fingertips brushed the grooved cover of the air vent.

(A/N: By the way, do you say air vent in America? If you don't, its one of those holes high in a wall to let the room be ventilated, with a plastic cover).

I stretched a bit further, on tiptoes, and managed to stick my fingers through the criss-crossed plastic. I tugged at it, and it clicked out of place and came off in my hand. I breathed out deeply, and then stuck the letter into the small space, then fitted the cover back on.

_No one else but Edward is going to find that… _I thought, as grabbed my bag, and left the toilets.

I had to hurry up, or the thirty minutes would be up and Edward would come after me, and catch me. I ran across the restaurant, noticing the coffee on the empty table out of the corner of my eye as I left. The streets were bustling with people, and I had to shove and push through the crowd to get anywhere. I stared at my watch, and noticed that I had ten minutes until Edward would come after me. How had hiding the letter taken so long?

I jumped straight into a taxi, telling the driver that if he got me to the station in under five minutes, then I would pay him twice as much. A block of ice slid down my spine as I thought of the red-haired vampire that would be waiting for me there.

**Edward's POV**

I sat on the edge of the bed, nervously spinning the TV remote at vampire speed in my fingers.

_Fifteen minutes she's been gone, _I thought.

I couldn't think of anything to amuse myself. I looked about the room; saw the mist from Bella's shower, and the drop of glistening condensation running down the bathroom mirror. That drop of water was so clear and pure, so unaffected, that I envied it.

_I'm going mad waiting, _I thought. _Seventeen minutes and fifty-six seconds. _

_Eighteen minutes, _I thought as I yanked the curtains closed to stop sunlight from getting into the room. My bare feet still sparkled from the rare rays of sun that managed to get under the curtain.

_Nineteen and a half minutes, _I thought as I teased a piece of blue tack with my fingers.

_I wonder if Edward and Bella are up yet, _Alice thought, _probably not. I'll give them another few hours before I charge in and wake them. Anyway, Jasper's just getting into the shower, maybe I could join him… _

I sighed deeply. _Twenty-one minutes… _

I started to get ready, at a loss to what else to do. Sadly, it only took a few minutes to pull on my shoes and socks and coat. I went back to sitting nervously on the bed, and checking my watch every couple of seconds.

_Twenty-five minutes… _

_How long does a coffee take to drink? _I thought, _I don't think I ever drank coffee when I was a human. Do you have to wait for it to get cold before you drink it? How long do they take to make? Maybe there was a queue… _

I glanced at my watch again; wrapped up in my thoughts, it had gone half an hour a minute ago. I jumped up, running towards the door. I quickly locked the room, pocketing the key, and raced down the stairs.

"Going out, Mr. Cullen?" the receptionist from last night said.

I chucked the key across the counter at him, and dashed out of the hotel, leaving the doors swinging behind me.

The square was packed with people this morning, the usual sights and sounds of a city making it almost impossible to tell which way Bella had gone. I glanced around frantically, looking for any sign of her, my eyes flickering quickly over everything. I was pushed and shoved by people from all sides, and then I heard the familiar moans of pain as they encountered my hard skin.

_Serves them right for shoving me… _

I was never going to find Bella by looking for her. There were just too many other people. I stepped back a couple of steps, into the mouth of a disused alleyway, and closed my eyes. Millions of scents bombarded my nose once I started to concentrate. The calling of my body for the blood of these people reminded me it had been too long since I had last hunted.

I could smell the greasiness of a kebab shop down the road, and the strong scent of human excrement from deeper in this alley. In disgust, I scrunched my nose, and tried to ignore it.

_Come on, Bella, Bella… _I told my nose.

I filtered through the smells for what felt like ages before I caught the light flowery scent floating on the breeze.

_BELLA! _I thought, and shot out of the alleyway. Dodging people and stalls, I ran as fast as I could without causing suspicion to the humans around me. I had gone two streets before I stopped in front of a small coffee shop.

"Rachael's Coffee Shop?" I said to myself. The scent was unmistakeable; this was where Bella had been.

The shop was packed with people, just like the street outside. I dodged my way through the tables, until I noticed one empty table for two by the back wall, tucked away in the corner. When I saw the single plastic cup, and smelt the sharp tang of coffee, I knew for certain Bella had been here. I ran over to the table, and picked up the cup. The coffee was still warm.

I closed my eyes to concentrate better, and ran my fingertips lightly over the side of the cup. Sure enough, my sensitive fingers picked up the tiny indentations that Bella's hand had made in the plastic. I recognised the fingerprint. It was the one I knew the best in the world.

Blessing the sharp vampire senses that had led me to the right place, I followed Bella's scent to the door of the woman's bathroom. Feeling no embarrassment, because this situation was too serious, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Sadly, I didn't have enough luck to get an empty bathroom. There was an old woman in there, and two people inside the stalls. The old woman passed me on her way out, making no comment, which made me think she couldn't see well enough to realize that I wasn't female.

I took a deep breath… Bella had been in the far stall. I walked over to the door, and tried to pull it open. It seemed to be stuck… I tugged harder, and it opened with a bang. Before I could do anything, I heard a bloodcurdling scream.

_Shit!_ I thought, _there was someone in there!_

It was a young girl of about fifteen, frozen in shock with her trousers half way down her legs. The first thing I noticed was the small freckle on her cheek, and the glaring pair of red polka dot panties she was wearing.

"What the hell are you doing?" she shouted, her eyes wide.

I was frozen in place. _What could I say? Crap, crap!_

She yanked up her trousers with a terrified expression on her face, and pushed past me to get out of the bathroom. I heard the door swing shut behind her, and then the door to the other stall open. A woman of about twenty walked out, and jumped a mile when she saw me.

I saw her staring at me in the mirror, but I was frozen in place. _I just opened the door on a fifteen-year-old girl with her trousers down! _

"What are you doing in here?" The woman said with a chuckle. _Is he mentally retarded or something? What, he can't speak as well as read? Didn't he see the sign on the door that said 'LADIES'?_

Think fast, think fast, Edward!

I answered the woman in Russian, asking her if she could direct me to the men's bathrooms.

_Aah, foreign? What was that? Portuguese or something? _

I repeated the question, but I saw her eyes widen and travel downwards.

_Oh my god, I've just noticed. He's frickin' gorgeous! What wouldn't I let him do to me in here with those muscled legs? God, we're alone… _

I felt like being sick as her thoughts spiralled into a fantasy of us making love against the hand dryer.

"Let me show you the way," she said slowly, fluttering her eyelashes. She thought I didn't understand her… and I jumped as she grabbed my hand and led me towards the cubicle she had just come out of.

_Shit, how do I get out of this? _I thought as she pushed me into the stall and came in after me, locking the door behind us. _Oh god, oh god… _I thought as she sidled towards me, swinging her blonde hair in a way that I think was supposed to be sexy, but was just plain scary.

"Er—" I started, but she pushed me backwards against the wall. I tried to move around her, but she moved forwards, until I couldn't get away without hurting her. I could easily have snapped her arm off to get out of the way, but I don't think Carlisle and Esme would have liked that…

"Now, now," she purred in a disgusting voice, "Let me give you a proper taste of America…"

_Oh my god, does she intend to rape me or something? _I thought, and then sniggered inwardly. Emmett would have laughed so much at this. Then I remembered the situation, and felt a fierce desire to escape. Could I do it without hurting her? If I couldn't, then she was just going to have to do without an arm!

Then she leaned forward towards my lips. I scrunched up my nose and leaned away, so her mouth hit the back of the stall. She had been moving pretty fast, and I heard her squeak of pain as she slammed into the wall.

Grabbing the moment, I jumped around her and shot out of the stall as fast as I could. I ran for the door, but remembered that I needed to find Bella.

"WAIT!" I heard the woman shout. "COME BACK!"

I ran and locked myself in the cubicle that Bella had been in, and jumped onto the toilet silently so the woman wouldn't see my feet under the door. I heard some scuffling noises and a grunt of pain.

_Where has he gone? I wasn't finished with him yet… _I heard the woman think, and then sighed in relief as she decided to look for me in the street outside the restaurant.

As soon as she was gone, I took a deep breath. Suddenly, the sweet smell of Bella hit my nostrils again, and I straightened up.

_Bella had been standing on the toilet… _I realized. _Why?_

Then I smelt her touch on the wall, and followed it up to the air vent. I noticed a corner of the vent cover was not stuck properly onto the wall… and then saw a little flash of white. My curiously roused, I snapped the cover off, and reached my hand inside the small hole. My fingers felt paper, and I pulled my hand back to see an envelope.

It had my name on it.

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	34. The Waves Dragged Me Under

Here is the next update. Don't forget to review; it's what's keeping me going!

And I was just wondering… if there are any guys/men/dudes/gentlemen/homies reading this, then could you tell me? I was wondering if there were any people of the male type who read my story. Just out of interest

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Sppfff (a frustrated noise).

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_Previously…_

_I noticed a corner of the vent cover was not stuck properly onto the wall… and then saw a little flash of white. My curiously roused, I snapped the cover off, and reached my hand inside the small hole. My fingers felt paper, and I pulled my hand back to see an envelope. _

_It had my name on it._

**Edward's POV**

_Edward, _the neat handwriting said, in its small and straight letters. My heart warmed a couple of degrees involuntarily as I recognised the writing. Bella.

_I had to write this. I couldn't keep it to myself any longer. _

I felt a frown knotting my marble forehead into a worried line. _What is this? _I thought, _something she couldn't tell me? _I leant back to sit on the toilet seat, smoothing out the paper on my thigh.

_Edward, it's a secret I never meant to have told you. I never even meant to have a secret in the first place, but I couldn't ignore my feelings. When you first met me, that day when you saved my life… I was going to kill myself, and now I'll tell you the reason. I was in love- truly, deeply and madly in love. In love so much that every breath hurt and every heartbeat was like another wasted moment without him. In love so much that there was no return to normality, and no release. _

_He didn't love me back. He hated every particle of my body, every metre of space I took up, and every word that came from my lips. He hated me to the depths of his heart. He told me it was like a gunshot to his head whenever I entered the room. _

_So, I decided that a life without him wasn't worth living. There was no purpose, no lighting beacon to show me the way home. And that's why I took the knife, intending to spill my lifeblood in the alleyway. _

_And then you came into my life, like a bolt of lightning. You changed everything. But then you stuck around with me, and after a while, you began to feel like a gash that wouldn't heal, or like a throbbing pulse behind a bruise. _

_I was foolish and stupid, and I hope you will forgive me for being a naïve child then. Like a hero is revered and admired, I looked up to you. It seemed like you had reached me just in time by some sort of magic, and I was in awe of that. Everything you said was right, everything you believed became my belief too. I was transfixed. I was infatuated. _

_It was only after a while, when you began to long for greater things than friendship and a couple of kisses, that my feelings clamoured out to be heard, and it began to feel wrong. Whenever you touched me or kissed me… my body was betraying my heart. The deep-rooted human lust that we feel shows us that we are not that different from animals. We are born, we mate, and then we die. I wanted something different. I wanted something more. I wanted _love.

_I hate to admit it, Edward, but I was scared. I was scared of commitment; I was scared of tying myself to you for life. And these feelings alone- had I not felt the sense of wrong in my heart- would have kept me from you. If I had stayed and married you, then I would have been betraying God and betraying you. I had to get out- I couldn't stick it any longer. _

_I wish things could have been different. I tried Edward, I really did. But I can't feel anything more than friendship towards you. You were my knight in shining armour that night, but you aren't my prince. _

_Bella. _

The paper fluttered from my fingertips to the cold, hard floor of the toilets.

As the deafening hum of the hand dryer buzzed like thousands of bees in my ears, I felt my peace and happiness shatter against the knife of misery and sorrow. A wave had broken over my head, and come smashing down upon me. Millions of tonnes of water, pressing against me, trapping me…

I became waterlogged- the levels rose- but I couldn't keep my head above the water. I was drowning, gasping for air, stranded like a whale on a beach…

…and piece by piece, the shard of despair cut deeper into my breaking heart.


	35. Internal Bleeding

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, sadly... but they are on my birthday list!**

**Enjoy this chapter, chucks **

**OOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOoooOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOooooOOOOOoooooOOOOO**

_The paper fluttered from my fingertips to the cold, hard floor of the toilets. _

_As the deafening hum of the hand dryer buzzed like thousands of bees in my ears, I felt my peace and happiness shatter against the knife of misery and sorrow. A wave had broken over my head, and come smashing down upon me. Millions of tonnes of water, pressing against me, trapping me…_

_I became waterlogged- the levels rose- but I couldn't keep my head above the water. I was drowning, gasping for air, stranded like a whale on a beach… _

…_and piece by piece, the shard of despair cut deeper into my breaking heart. _

**Edward's POV**

It was two hours before anyone found me. I vaguely registered Alice banging on the stall door, demanding my attention… and then when I didn't reply, I heard a crash as Jasper broke down the door. Then I felt pairs of hands all over me, grabbing at my shirt, shaking me. I couldn't reply. My mouth wouldn't open; no sound came from my throat. It was like I had dried up and frozen.

The next thing I felt was someone dragging me up from the floor, and then urgent voices speaking to me. I heard shouts, begging, coaxing, and anger in voices when I couldn't reply, then worry all over again. I can't remember anything from the way; I was unresponsive, but then next thing I knew I was back in my hotel room, stuck in a haze of blacks and greys. I tried blinking and shaking my head, but the dark, drab colours of anguish wouldn't shift. It was like my life had turned from an opening show in glorious multicolour, into a silent, black and white film that I was no longer a part of.

Over the next day, my eyes were fixed on the opposite wall while each member of my family pleaded with me to speak. I couldn't even hear them properly- it was like the bees I had been hearing before had taken up refuge next to my eardrums and were going about making as much noise as they could.

_Had every touch, every kiss, been a lie?_

Jasper spent most of the time with me in the room. Sitting in a chair in a far corner, sometimes speaking, sometimes silent. He wasn't like the mind probe of Alice; he was a calming presence in the room. He stopped me from running back to Bella or ripping apart the man she had loved more than me.

My emotions raged through the days. Most of the time, I was trapped in spirals of depression, but sometimes fury boiled in my blood like lava. I bellowed a heart-wrenching roar of pain. I threw the bed across the room. I destroyed everything in my sight.

And then the next moment I had slunk back to my corner, my back jammed against the door, my head between my legs. It made me sick to think.

_I had lost my virginity, the most precious thing I had left, to that woman. _

I couldn't even think her name any longer. It was too painful.

I was in pieces, and I didn't even make an effort to hide it. What was the point? What had I left to loose?

Soon, even seeing Jasper made me loose my temper. He had everything he wanted! His wife loved him more than life itself! He had a reason to live and breathe!

I think I attacked him once. I hurled a chair at him as soon as I saw him coming into the room. It smashed him back against the wall. The next second, I felt arms of iron pressing me against the far wall. I could see Alice, and Esme, and Carlisle. I couldn't read the emotions in their eyes. But Alice's were burning pits of thunder.

Of course, they would be. I had just assaulted her mate.

The next day I was left alone.

**Alice's POV**

He made no effort to hide the pain in his eyes, and every time I looked at him, it was like I was being physically struck. Every moment of every day, Edward looked like he had been kicked in the stomach.

I couldn't understand it. One moment, Edward had been overjoyed, about to get married to the love of his life, and the next, he was a shattered, broken man, and Bella was no where to be seen. Had they had an argument? Had Bella had second thoughts about the wedding? Edward wouldn't speak to anyone. Not even Jasper could manipulate his emotions out of the depths of depression and pain.

Jasper stayed in the room with Edward. I had suggested it. If Edward would speak to anyone, it would be Jasper. And my mate would be there when Edward was ready to talk again.

My visions still were not working. I had sat and tried to get a vision- by thinking about Bella, by looking for Edward's future- but nothing had come. It was like I was human again!

Rosalie and Emmett's flight was due back in four days. They would arrive in Forks at our house five days from now. And we were still stuck in a hotel, going slowly mad, not daring to move Edward. None of us could fathom what had gone wrong. Edward was still wearing his engagement ring, and I had seen him staring at it longingly on his finger when he hadn't known I was there.

A familiar voice jolted me out of my memories.

"Alice?"

It was Jasper. I ran into his arms, hugging him tightly against me. Seeing Edward like this had nearly broken all of us. I had become painfully aware that as Edward had lost Bella so suddenly, so the same could happen with Jasper and I.

"Are you alright?" he said, pulling me back to look at my face.

"Yes... no- no," I said, sinking back onto the hotel bed, and running my hands through my hair. "I tried talking to Edward earlier today. I asked him about Bella, but he didn't even seem to hear me."

"I know," Jasper said in a raw voice, "I've been with him for three days straight, and he wont say anything at all. Its like he's fallen into a coma."

"Carlisle doesn't know what to do, does he?" I said.

"No," Jasper said, running his hands up and down my arms soothingly, "I talked to him this morning. He thinks we should wait another day or so, and then go back to Forks. Maybe seeing the familiar house will make a difference to Edward's condition."

"Condition?" I whispered.

"What else can we call it?" Jasper said, "He's a broken man, Alice. It's like he's suddenly stopped functioning. He needs to hunt, but he doesn't even seem to notice."

I moaned in pain as I saw Edward's face in my mind again. His eyes were dull; they had lost all sparkle they had had before. His mouth never moved, never opened, never smiled.

"He only moves to shower," Jasper said into my hair. "And to pace the room."

"How was he today?" I murmured into Jasper's chest, turning him to face me so that I could wrap my arms around him.

Jasper's strong arms pressed my small form against his. "He was angry. He threw the bed across the room, and it made a massive dent in the wall. I don't know how we are going to explain it to the hotel staff..."

"He threw the bed across the room?" I said, "Are you serious?"

"Sadly, yes," Jasper said quietly, his voice subdued.

"Oh, Jasper. What can we do?" I moaned, "What can we do?"

**Bella's POV**

I pressed my face against the cold window of the train, my eyes squeezed closed. The freezing temperature of the glass reminded me of Edward's touch.

Victoria was ignoring me. She had got up a minute ago, to patrol the train- I assumed she was checking Edward hadn't followed me. He hadn't, and I thanked god for that. He was safe.

James was sitting in the seat opposite me, his hard, cold legs pressed against mine under the table between our seats. I had tried to move my legs out of the way, but whenever I moved, he did too. He smirked at me over the top of his newspaper.

Feeling sick, I turned back to the window. Edward was probably reading the letter now. I saw him in my mind, sticking his hand into the vent, his long fingers brushing the letter. Pulling it out and sitting on the toilet seat to read it, his topaz eyes narrowed in concentration...

Then in startling clarity, I saw his face contorting in pain. I saw flashes of our hotel room- Edward curled up in the corner of the room, his head pressed against his knees; I saw him bellow a roar of pain; I saw him throw the bed across the room with all his might. Then the last thing I saw was him staring blankly at his engagement ring, his eyes clouded with grief.

"A little present for you," Victoria smirked as she sat back down.

She was a sick, sick woman. I couldn't believe she had made her 'friends', (who were at present occupying most of the carriage, their long legs stretched across the isles) project that image into my mind. I felt bile rise up in my throat.

"Can I go to the toilet?" I whispered.

Victoria shook her head, one solitary menacing motion. "We don't want our little pretty to escape, now..."

James smirked. "I'll offer to accompany her to the toilet," he grinned, winking.

I made a disgusted sound and buried my face in my hands.

I couldn't believe what these people were doing to me! They had destroyed my life, and made me destroy the life of the man I loved. And now they were torturing me with images of him in so much pain.

"Stop this," I whispered, "Please, let me go."

"Why would we do that?"

"Why do you hate me?" I whispered, "What have I done to you?"

"It's not you, my stupid little human," Victoria purred, "I am doing this to break Carlisle's heart."

"What?" I whispered. "Carlisle?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand," I said, "You've broken Edward's heart, not Carlisle's."

"Aah, but that's where you are wrong," James sneered.

"This way," Victoria said with satisfaction, "I kill three birds with one stone."

"Three birds?" I whispered. I didn't understand. What had she got against Carlisle? What had she got against _me_?

"Yes," Victoria with a malicious leer on her face, "I basically kill _you_ by making you leave Edward. I basically kill _Edward _by making you leave him. And I basically kill the rest of the family, including Carlisle, by having to live with Edward after this."

James stroked one long finger down Victoria's cheek. "She's a genius, isn't she?"

"What has Carlisle done to you?" I repeated.

"He let someone I loved very much die," Victoria said, "And for that, he deserves everything I can give him."

"_What_? That's all?"

"That's _all_?" Victoria thundered. "As if that wasn't enough!"

"People die _all the time. _Sometimes, however much they do, doctors can't save people," I said. I had to reason with her! I had to get her to stop this horrible revenge that was destroying so many lives.

"As if you would know!" Victoria said, "You know nothing."

I tried to speak again, but a withering glare stopped me. She lifted her hand, to show me the knife she was carrying. I fell silent immediately.

The train pulled into the station an hour later. Pushing through the bustling crowds, and creating a wake of destruction behind her, Victoria dragged me to another platform where we boarded another train. I was soon to realise that this pattern would repeat itself until the end of the next day, when we arrived at a tiny run-down hotel in the middle of nowhere, one case between us, and all that was left of the food a granola bar in the bottom of my fraying pocket.

**Edward's POV**

I let the boiling water run over my naked body, dripping off my fingertips and the end of my nose. I lifted my face to the ceiling of the shower, and opened my eyes. Through a blur of water, I could see the nozzle of the shower, power-spraying jets of water violently against my face. I turned it up so the water was hitting me harder.

I ran my fingers idly down the shower, and blew out a puff of breath against the fogged up glass. My cold breath made almost no difference to the condensation. I thought of Bella and how her warmness would make it fog up even more.

'Today had been a turning point', I had heard Carlisle whisper to Esme after they had left the room today. I had managed to force a couple of words out of my stubborn lips around lunchtime. Nothing much, or important, but I had answered a direct question about my feelings to Alice.

"Edward," Alice had said softly. It was about the fifth time she had said my name this morning, waiting for a response. When I gave none, she carried on. "Does it hurt more than you can bear sometimes?"

I looked up slowly from my twisting fingers and nodded once.

"I don't know what I can do to help," Alice had said, "But if there is anything, _anything, _that would make it even a tiny bit better, then tell me at once."

I nodded again, and then looked back down. I felt her hand grasp my shoulder and turn me to face her.

"Edward, I love you," Alice had said, "I can't stand this either. Why would Bella do this to you? Did you argue?"

"No."

"Then why?" Alice had said.

"I don't know," I had murmured.

And then she had left the room.

Sometimes, before I lay down to bed, I allowed myself a couple of minutes to visualise her face. Normally, it hurt too much to think of Bella, but at night time, I didn't care. I hadn't yet dropped the habit of getting into bed at night. Normally I did it for Bella, but now she wasn't here to sleep, and still I did it. Maybe it was too early for my mind to let her go.

**Jasper's POV**

I knocked lightly on Edward's door, giving him a few seconds to get decent before I went in. He was sitting on the bed as usual, twirling his ring on his finger with a melancholy expression on his face. His head snapped up and his eyes met mine as soon as I stepped into the room.

"We're going back to Forks today," I said.

"We are?" he said simply.

"Yes," I said in a low voice that was raw with emotion, "And I think you should come back with us. You're as much a part of this family as me, and we can all see that this place is bleeding you dry, Edward."

"What if Bella comes back?"

"She won't. It has been three days and we've been here, in the same room, day and night. If she was coming back, she would have done before now."

"She said she was just going to get a coffee," Edward muttered, his emotions fluctuating between depression and longing.

I tried and failed to lift his mood. As soon as I had entered the room, it was like a blanket of sadness had wrapped around me, and was stifling any happy feelings or memories. I needed to get out, and so did Edward. This place couldn't be doing him any good.

"We're leaving at lunch time," I said, "Do you need any help packing?"

"No," Edward said.

I nodded and turned on my heel towards the door. Just as I had my hand on the doorknob, Edward spoke. His voice was more frail or childlike than I had ever heard it.

"What shall I do with her clothes?"

I turned to look at the open case, which was strung with loose socks, a couple of woollen jumpers, two pairs of underwear, and a black top.

"She left them," he said softly.

"I'll give them to Alice," I said, closing the case and taking it from him, pretending to ignore the jumper that he picked out from the case and saved. I smiled weakly as I gently pressed the door closed.

**Edward's POV**

I finished packing my things in a couple of minutes. I sank back onto the bed, pressing her jumper against my nose. It still smelt faintly of her. I breathed in deeply.

It took me another couple of minutes to right the room into the state it had been in before. I pulled a couple of thousand dollars out of my wallet, to bribe the hotel staff not to mention the large dent in the wall I had made when throwing the bed across the room.

I dragged my case down to reception, gave them the bribe, and slumped down next to Alice on the waiting chairs near the door. Esme and Carlisle came down a half hour later, and Jasper a couple of minutes after that.

By one o'clock, we were on the road.

I had been kidding myself if I had thought I had been any better today. When we rounded the corner from the hotel, my heart began to burn.

_What if Bella came back and couldn't find me?_

I checked my phone, scrolling absent-mindedly through the applications. I played Tetris for a while before turning back to the window. I couldn't ignore the worry that clamped in my chest. _She could have been meaning to come back. She could have been joking with the message. _But in my heart, I knew that wasn't true. She would have meant the words, or not written them at all. Bella wasn't a girl to mess people around.

I took out the letter and began to read again, my fingers tracing lightly over the words she had written. As I read through it, a low groan slipped from my lips and Esme looked up to stare at me in the mirror.

"What's that, dear?" she said.

I folded the paper and tried to hide it, but she had already seen. She held her hand out for it, and with a sigh, I gave it up.

Her eyes flickered across the page and her brow furrowed. By the end of it, her fists were clenched and a small line curved near her tight mouth.

"What's that?" Carlisle said, looking sideways away from the road.

"A letter," Esme said, her voice unusually hard.

"From?"

"Bella," Esme replied.

"Oh?" Carlisle said, taking a hand from the wheel and holding it out towards Esme. "Let me see."

"Bella sent a letter?" Alice said softly from the back, next to me. "Read it out."

"No," I said in a final tone.

_Why not? _Alice thought.

"It hurts to hear," I muttered, turning towards the window and cursing my weakness.

_Sorry, _Alice said, _I didn't know it was that sort of letter. _

"When did she send it?" Jasper said.

Carlisle's eyes ran down the paper and a frown appeared on his face too.

"She left it for me," I murmured.

The letter was passed back to Alice, and Jasper read it over her shoulder. A couple of signs of outrage came from Alice as she got through it.

_How could she? _Alice thought, _agree to marry Edward, act so happy about it, and then leave a couple of weeks before the wedding!_

_That is horrible, _Esme thought; _I don't believe it at all. _

_Esme doesn't believe it? _I thought, _then what did she think happened? The police stole Bella from me when they found her location? Yeah, right. _

I saw Carlisle's quick mind processing the information in the set of his jaw and the thoughtfulness in his eyes. I knew he was assessing all the things that could have happened between Bella and I to make her leave.

"Are you sure you didn't argue?" Esme said softly.

"Yes," I said.

"And she didn't seem, well, _odd_, or anything, that morning?"

I thought back to the morning she had left. And the night before, when she had refused me when I was going to kiss her. Then I remembered how she had told me she felt ill. _Was that the first pangs of guilt for what she knew she was going to do to me in the morning? _

"She felt ill the night before," I said, "But wouldn't let me get Carlisle."

There was silence, as everybody became wrapped up in their thoughts. I looked out of the window, and with every beat of my heart, I longed for her.

OOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOoooo

--Pulls out cake and candles--

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear me, happy birthday to me!"

It's my birthday soon! WISH ME HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Or don't. Whatever you prefer ;)

REVIEW, DOLLS! I made it an extra long chapter especially for you!

CullenLove


	36. Death Plans and Alice's Eyes

I just wanted to explain to clear up the confusion that I know Edward's heart doesn't beat any more, but I think of him as having _two_ sections in his heart (yes, I know there are _four_ chambers). The first was the physical heart that died when he changed into a vampire. The second is his emotional heart. Right now he- as dead as he is- can still feel emotions and I believe they come from the heart. So it is this part of his heart that I was referring to at the end of the last chapter :D

Enjoy this chapter! (God, I say that all the time. But I mean it!)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. –sniffs— And no, I didn't get the characters for my birthday, like I asked… Stephenie Meyer mustn't have got the message I threw up the chimney. (Stephenie Meyer is God, therefore she is everywhere and is Santa too! And don't you all throw your Christmas lists up the chimney so Santa on the roof can get them? No? Well, come to my house and join in!)

And thank you everyone who wished me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It was an awesome birthday and I felt very keyed-up to know that other people apart from my family wished I had a good time!

I would also like to thank you guys that I have now passed my personal dream target of 1,000 reviews! I am so hyped up right now, you have no idea! Thank you all so much!

Now, back to the story!

OOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOO

**Bella's POV**

It took me two minutes to explore the whole hotel. It was tiny- only three twin rooms and one single. The corridors were dank and dingy and there were spots of damp on the walls. I even saw a cockroach running down the corridor before Victoria screamed and James squished it. My bedroom had one single bed and a bath. There wasn't even a television, and I hadn't brought anything to amuse myself either.

"Eat this," Victoria said, chucking an apple that was half mouldy at me.

"Are you being serious?" I said, eyeing the green mould growing on the side of it.

"Be good at you might get something nicer," James grinned.

I ignored him, and took a bite out of the side of the apple without the mould. I didn't want to starve.

"Now listen to the plan," Victoria said. "We stay here for a couple of days, then move again. You do not make any sort of contact with Edward, or we'll deal with him as well as you."

"Where are the others?" I said, thinking about Victoria's 'army' that had followed us on the train here.

"They are each staying in different hotels, each about a mile from here. They completely encircle us. If you were thinking of running away, Bella, don't bother. You can't get away from us."

Victoria grinned and then left the room, locking the door. There wasn't a window to my room, so I couldn't climb out. I did a circuit of the room, knocking my fist against the walls to see if they might possibly hold hidden doors out of this dank place. They didn't, of course.

I walked to the far left wall, and put my ear against the plaster. I knew Victoria and James were staying one of the rooms that was beside mine.

I heard a throaty female voice from through the wall, and then a man's groan of pleasure. I leapt back from the wall, as if stung.

_No, not Victoria in there… _I thought, turning away. The sound of the man had reminded me sharply of Edward, and now my chest burned with fear and homesickness.

I tried the other wall, and caught the last couple of words of a sentence in a voice I not only recognised, but a voice that occupied my nightmares.

"—there'll be some way," Victoria said.

"Can we do it soon, then?" James said, "I'm getting sick of her. Stupid human, just holding us up all the time."

With a jolt, I realized they must be talking about me. I strained my ears to catch their muffled words.

"James, for god's sake, I have a plan here," Victoria said, "I know just when we are going to kill her and we have to wait until the right time."

My eyes widened with terror. _They were going to kill me!_

"Fine, fine," James said, "I will follow your 'plan'. But it has to be soon." Then I heard a kissing sound and James continued in a husky low voice, "I want you all to myself."

Victoria didn't answer for a few seconds. I didn't know what they were doing right now and I was petrified. I gingerly touched the bandage on my arm from when Victoria had attacked me, and wondered if she still carried the knife she had used.

_Not likely, _I thought, _her teeth are much sharper and more effective. How easily they could kill me! It wouldn't even take a second and I would be gone. _

I felt cold bumps rise on my arms, and the hairs on the back of my neck tickle in a very unpleasant way that made me feel like I was being watched. I snatched a look behind me, to confirm I was still alone, before pressing my ear back to the wall.

"—let me film it, Victoria," James said brightly.

"_Film _it, James?" Victoria mumbled, "Whatever for…—It's perfect! And then I'll post it to Edward and him and his little family can watch Bella dying! You are brilliant, James!"

"I know," James said with a large dash of pride in himself in his voice. He sounded like he was glowing under Victoria's praise.

"Oh my god!" I whispered to myself, my cheeks stained red with horror and my body pumping adrenaline around in my hot blood. My skin felt like it was burning, and a sharp headache had begun to pound against my temples.

_They were going to kill me, and then film it and send it to Edward! _

"NO!" I screamed, stupidly bashing my hand as hard as I could against the wall.

"The girl!" James said. I heard a banging of a door, and then I was being slammed against the wall. I felt two sharp punches to my gut, knocking the breath out of me, and then I was flung viciously to the floor. The room immediately blackened as if it was night and my eyes rolled back into my head.

**Edward's POV**

The house felt empty without her. Every stairwell and closet, every richly furnished bedroom, every marble bathroom and every corridor was lacking in something. My bedroom was the worst, and yet it was the place I retreated to the most often. I found that listening to my CDs did nothing to me anymore, and the long runs that used to clear my head and fill me with energy were sad without her.

Everyone stepped around me like eggshells or china dolls were placed beneath their feet. Like I would explode if they got too close, or try to kill myself if they made too much noise. Emmett and Rosalie got back home, but I hardly noticed. Their exciting stories about England were reserved for when I was out of the house, and the rest of the family kept shows of love for their mate for their own bedrooms, like I would burn with jealousy to watch.

A knock at the door jolted me sharply out of my thoughts. It was Alice, looking tenderly at me as her eyes shined with unshed tears. Her face had been like this for days- paler than usual, the purple bruise-like shadows under her eyes more pronounced, and her beetle black eyes large with pity. I knew it was out of love for me that she worried. I could only imagine how _my_ face would be like.

"How are you feeling?" she murmured, loathe to break the lonely silence that now constantly hung about my room.

"The same," I said softly, like I always replied.

Alice frowned and came over to me, her steps light and her feet barely sinking into the carpet on my floor.

"I thought I told you not to look at this all the time?" she said, plucking Bella's letter from my hands. "It won't help."  
"Please give it back," I muttered, a weary tone in my voice.

"It won't help," Alice repeated, and stuck the letter in her pocket. She stared at me for a few seconds, and I stared back. Then I began to sense some change in her face, and looked closer into her eyes. They seemed to be swirling like the onyx colour had melted and was being sucked like a black hole in a spiral. I frowned and whispered her name cautiously, and then leapt up from my seat on the sofa when her eyes rolled back into her head so only the glaring whites of her eyes were showing.

"Alice!" I yelled, grabbing her shoulders.

_This isn't what she's like when she's having a vision… and she hasn't had a vision since we went to Victoria's house anyway!_

I looked back at Alice just as her small lips parted and out came a word almost hidden in the breath that whooshed from her mouth. "_Berries…_"

"What?" I said, my eyes still locked on hers. In horror, I couldn't look away.

"Scarlet," she said again, her normally bright voice eerily blank, "Scarlet liquid and berries."

Then she began to cough- hoarse, hacking coughs that shook her small frame like a leaf in a breeze. As my medical training had taught me, I worriedly got ready to try and stop her choking, steadying her from behind with my hands.

And then the coughing stopped, and the room was heavy with silence.

"Edward?" I heard a small voice whisper, "What are you doing?"

I stepped away from Alice, my frown deepening. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course I am," she said, "It's _you _I'm worried about."

"You just said 'berries'," I said, hardly aware that I sounded delusional.

"No I didn't," Alice said.

"You did," I said, "And then you said something about a scarlet liquid."

"I didn't say anything either about berries or blood," Alice said confidently, "You're completely—"

I didn't hear the rest of what she said, as my brain had suddenly clicked.

_Blood. _

_The Prophecy of the Blood Berries. _

OOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOooooOOOOOOoooo

Oh em gee, what did you guys think of the Cullen photos posted on Stephenie Meyer's website? I got so excited when my friend told me they were posted, and I went to look straight away! Personally, I give them a five and a half out of seven! Everyone gets a point, except Jasper who got half a point because his hair looks like an afro in the second picture and I don't like it, and Carlisle who only gets half a point too because I think Charlie Hunnam would have been better for the role. And don't you think Edward's expression on the last photo is so funny:P

So what do _you _think? I'd be so interested to know!  
CullenLove xx


	37. Realisation

**I know this chapter is short, but as its exciting, I thought you'd forgive me. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, however much I beg my tooth fairy Edward Cullen to hand me his ownership papers **

**OOOOOOooooooOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOoooooOOOO**

**Previously… **

_I stepped away from Alice, my frown deepening. "Are you alright?" _

"_Yes, of course I am," she said, "It's you I'm worried about."_

"_You just said 'berries'," I said, hardly aware that I sounded delusional. _

"_No I didn't," Alice said. _

"_You did," I said, "And then you said something about a scarlet liquid."_

"_I didn't say anything either about berries or blood," Alice said confidently, "You're completely—"_

_I didn't hear the rest of what she said, as my brain had suddenly clicked. _

_Blood. _

_The Prophecy of the Blood Berries. _

**Edward's POV**

I began to ignore Alice, and after a few seconds she stopped talking, her eyes lingering on my face. She knew something important had just made itself known to me and waited for me to fine point the details.

_It is said that one human female will have the key to a vampire's heart, and the guts to destroy this vampire in the only way possible- to make him love her, then to leave him. _

Well, that part of the prophecy had come true already.

_To make him beg for death, and to destroy him so fully that he will seek others of his own kind to end his existence. _

Well, I'd be damned before I let some prophecy rule over my life. I sure as hell wasn't going to be begging anyone for death! I would stay alive just to spite stupid Victoria who had written this in the first place.

"I am not going to be ruled by words," I spat, "Words don't have ultimate power over my life."

"That's right," Alice said encouragingly. Then her eyes went blank again, and I thought the same thing that had happened before was going to happen… but it didn't- she was just having a vision.

I joined her in her mind.

_I see Bella, _Alice said, which immediately caught my attention, _I see her naked… her body battered and broken. I see a man, a man with her… he's pulling at her hair, dragging his nails over her skin, taking her for his own. _

"NO!" I roared, which snapped Alice out of her vision. _NOT BELLA! _I thought frantically. I took Alice by the shoulders and shook her hard. "WHO WAS IT?" I bellowed. "I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL RIP HIM ALL TO PIECES!"

Alice was silent for a couple of seconds, staring at me in horror.

"WHO WAS HE, ALICE?" I snarled.

"Edward," Alice said quietly, "Edward, I think it was James. And I think it's happened already."

I howled then, like a wounded animal. My fists clenched at my sides, and the roar ripped from deep inside me. Alice shrank back, a terrified expression on her face.

My loud voice had drawn the rest of the family, and they piled into the room, putting their hands on my shoulders, gently restraining me by the arm… they must have thought I was going mad.

I shook them all off, and ran over to Alice.  
"We have to stop him!" I bellowed.

"Edward," Alice said, "I think it's too late!"  
"Why?" I yelled. "Your visions are of the _future, _not the past!"

"I saw the time on the clock in the room," Alice said, "In a hotel. It was twelve fifty-nine, Edward."

I looked down at my watch and my eyes widened in horror. _One o'clock. _

_One minute too late. _

"It has to be another day!" I bellowed. This couldn't be happening to my Bella! I would rip this man to _shreds_! "We have to go and save her!"

"What's happened?" Esme said softly, her voice shaking with fear.

Jasper was frozen with my horror, and his eyes were pitch black and burning with red fire. This was what my face looked like.

"I had a vision of Bella being beaten and raped by James," Alice whispered, her small voice cracking and breaking as she mentioned Bella's name.

The rest of the family was struck in the stomach with shock, and then their eyes began to blaze with anger.  
Even Rosalie, and I felt a rush of love for all of them. I knew they would follow me, follow me all the way to the ends of the world… to wherever this man was keeping Bella. And together we would punish him beyond all belief for what he had done to Bella.

_I was one minute too late! _I screamed.

"We have to go," I yelled, running for my window and smashing my way through it. The glass shattered around me, and I hit the drive of our house in a scatter of stones. I heard crashes like rockslides as the rest of my family jumped down behind me.

_I'll get us plane tickets, _I heard Carlisle think, _it will be faster. Do you know where this man has Bella, Edward?_

"Alice," I barked as I began to run. "Where are they?"

"In a small hotel in South America," Alice said straight away. She reached for Carlisle's phone, saying, "Here. I'll order them. I know exactly where."

"Are we taking the cars to the airport?" Emmett said.

I was so glad he and Rose had come back. This family was unstoppable.

"No," I said, taking control, "We're running. Faster."

They all nodded, and as one, we began to run, slipping into vampire speed at once. Alice ordered the plane tickets as we ran, begging and persuading and promising massive sums of money in return for seven tickets to South America.

"I've got them!" she said after ten minutes of coaxing, and just in time- we had reached the airport. We slowed down to human sprinting pace.

"What did you promise them?" Jasper said.

"I promised them Edward's Vanquish," Alice said, "Sorry… but it was the only car they'd take."  
"I care about Bella _so much _more than my car, Alice. Don't even apologise. I'd do anything to get her back," I said.

"Come on," Alice said, "Terminal four."

I had to restrain myself not to run at vampire speed. It was so hard, when I knew I could be going faster. But I managed it, and within half an hour, we were in the air.

I couldn't help replaying the images of a naked Bella, bloody and bruised, in my head like a horror film reel as the plane rose higher. My fists clenched right through the arm rests, bending the metal like butter, but for all my effort, I couldn't relax. I needed to be doing something. Not just sitting here, seeing her face over and over again, hearing her scream in pain…

_Oh, why did I ever let her go? _my mind screamed. _I've been so stupid! Even if she didn't love me, I should have kept her safe!_

Esme took my hand and pried it away from the armrest, which was broken now. There were five finger dents in the metal and it was almost hanging off the rest of the chair.

"Edward," Esme said, "Calm down, please."

"I can't!"

The other passengers on this plane looked away from me, scared at my tone of voice. They must have thought I was a mental patient, breaking down finally after too much stress…

"We will get there, and find Bella. But doing this can't help!" Esme said, "You have to be patient. I know how hard it is- almost impossible, but you have to fight for control. You have to be strong for Bella."

I nodded, and sucked in a breath through my clenched teeth. I managed to unclench my fists with massive effort, and lay my palms flat on my thighs. But I couldn't stop my thoughts from raging out of control.

_I am going to tear him limb from limb. _

_I am going to teach him the definition of pain._

_OOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOO_

_REVIEW!_


	38. The Chapter With No Name

**Thanks so much to 'Nicole' whose review really touched me. This chapter is dedicated to everyone who contributed to the 90 emails in my inbox yesterday morning! I was hyper all day long- I swear it to you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. **

**OOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Jasper's POV**

I could feel Edward's worry, and it was driving me mad too. If we didn't land soon, then two armrests would be torn to shreds. It was only Alice who stopped me from doing anything I would regret- her restrictive hold on my shoulder and her sweet, distracting kisses helped more than I could say.

But Edward had no one.

He was going through this alone.

**Esme's POV**

I didn't understand it. None of it made sense to me- why would Bella say she loved Edward, prove it multiple times in their bedroom, then leave without a word? Why would she take his ring with her?

My brain wouldn't wrap around the fact that Bella had left Edward.

She _couldn't _have done it out of spite.

I had thought that nothing could tear them apart. Their bond was as strong as the one Carlisle and I shared- and that lasted for eternity. You didn't just drop something like that one morning and never come back!

I had thought she would never have done anything like that of her own free will.

Of her own free will!

_That was it!_

"Carlisle!" I said urgently, shaking his arm, "Carlisle!"  
"Yes, Esme?" He said softly, "What is it?"

But I didn't respond- my brain was already working it out.

_The day we went to ask about the Prophecy! _

_Victoria! The unease I felt the whole time we were there!_

_Why hadn't I figured it out before?_

"Carlisle!" I said again, "Bella didn't _leave _Edward!"  
"What are you talking—"

"She was _forced to, _Carlisle, don't you see?" I said again, begging for him to understand.

I had captured everyone's attention now- Edward's burning eyes were fixed on mine now, unblinking. The expression in those onyx pools I couldn't understand.

"Victoria!" I said, whispering urgently, "When she took Bella into a different room! I'm betting the mate she mentioned in her book was there!"

"And he threatened Bella?" Carlisle said, "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know!" I said, frustrated, "But I can _feel it, _Carlisle, I can! I _know_ that's what happened!"

I turned to Edward- what did he think of this? It was of the utmost importance to me that he understand! Bella loved him!

He had frozen in his seat.

"Edward?" I prompted gently.

When his voice came out, it was strangled. "Bella…" he whispered, "Bella _did that _for us? She gave… she gave herself up… for all of us."

"No," whispered Alice, "No!"  
"…She did it… to save us," Edward murmured, "And _we were in the next room_!"

I felt as if tears should be pouring down my face. My eyes were sinfully dry, yet my throat burned as if I was thirsty for human blood. But I understood this emotion at least- this was fury. Raw fury.

"How can I live with myself if she dies?" Edward whispered.

**Bella's POV**

I rolled over onto my other side, uncomfortable from the hard bed. The mattress was lumpy and had several unidentifiable stains on it. I sighed with sadness, longing for Edward's arms- my safe haven.

Suddenly, the door opened. I rolled over, expecting Victoria, and instead seeing James.

I knew he wasn't just coming in to give me more food. The look in his eyes scared me; he was like a predator that had finally caught his prey.

"Bella, Bella, Bella…" He purred, coming into my room, and closing the door behind him.

My heart spluttered in fear when he locked the door behind him.

"What is it?" I whispered, my voice betraying my weakness and fear.

James didn't answer until he had crossed the room. He was now standing a mere metre away, leaning over me. I was still lying on the bed, and scrambled to get up, but he held me down by a hand in his iron grip.

"Victoria went out hunting," he said, the gleam of triumph in his eyes. "And left us all alone…"

"What are you saying?" I whispered.

"I just thought I wanted to do something _fun _with you," James said, his sharp teeth sparkling menacingly.

"Fun for who?" I breathed, too freaked out to move.

James grinned wider. "It could be fun if you let it," he purred, and then before I could move, he was pressing his freezing lips against mine.

I tried to scream, but his lips covered mine completely. I struggled against his iron grip, but it was no use. I felt bile rise up in my throat.

"Do I have to tie you up?" James chided, when he leant back.

"Please," I begged, "Leave me alone! I'll do anything!"  
"Where's the fun in that?" James said, "Anything you have I can take for myself. Why would I bargain with you?"

"I'll tell Victoria!" I screamed.

"Oh, don't you worry," James said, his eyes lighting up with a fierce joy, "I plan to have you dead long before Victoria comes back."

I tried to scream again, but my throat was dry, and my hands were sweating. I could hear my pulse in my ears, blood thudding through my veins, not aware that this man could take everything from me…

My mind knew all too well what James could do.

Anything.

And I wouldn't even be able to fight back.

I jumped up suddenly and sprinted for the door, my feet slipping on the shiny floor. I don't think I had ever expected to get away; James had caught me before I'd gone three steps. His arms snaked around my waist as he slammed me back against his chest.

I screamed in pain as the chain of the necklace he was wearing cut into my back.

"I don't understand you, Bella," James said softly, his voice almost gentle. "What's wrong with me?"

He took me by the shoulders, and spun me around to face him.

"Look at me," he said, a madness in his voice.

I turned my head away; waiting for the slap that was to sting my face, or a punch in my gut, or a kick to the head… nothing came.

I only felt his hand, soft on my cheek, and his low voice purring in my ear… "Feel my body, Bella."

I struggled again, but it was no use. He grabbed my hand, becoming angry now, and pressed it to his chest.

"Feel my muscles!" he roared. He guided my hand across his chest. His voice rose again, "Feel my stomach, feel my strength! Feel it, Bella!"

"Please let me go!" was all I could whimper. I tried to yank my hand back, which only resulted in a sharp pain in my wrist.

_Why was the hotel suddenly empty? Where was everyone who could help me?_

"Bella, I am so much better than Edward!" he bellowed, "Look at me! I am stronger, cleverer, and more dangerous than him! But still, you scream for Edward! Why?"

"Because I love him!" I shouted back, tears suddenly springing up in my eyes. They cascaded down my cheeks and dripped onto my shirt. "I love him!" I screamed, trying once again to pull away. He wouldn't let me. "I LOVE _HIM_!"

And then before I knew it, I was airborne, flying across the room…

My eyes widened in horror as I saw I was heading for the window- I was going too fast, I was going to smash right through it!

I broke through the window in a shattering of glass- little pieces ripped through my clothes like shrapnel. I could feel them slicing, tugging at my skin.

And then the ground was swept away beneath me and I was falling, down to the earth below, gravity pulling at the bottom of my stomach like I was being sucked into a black hole…

OOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOO

I am sorry its short, but you all wanted an update so I shunted my homework to do this one thing for you. Please enjoy it; I'll probably get detention tomorrow for giving this to you… now the least you can do is review!

And now I'm off to watch Skins.

CullenLove


	39. Culmination

Disclaimer: Don't own, man. 

Warning: This chapter might count as an 'M' for a little swear or two that might have slipped in… --innocent smile--

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To my faithful, beautiful, kind readers:

I am so very sorry for the delay, especially at such a critical point in the story. Many of you requested that this chapter be long and be as marvellous as I could get it, so naturally it took a little longer than the rest. And I have been so frightfully busy these past two weeks- rushing around, completing work for my exams, writing essays, etc. I am now simply exuberant to say that I have just completed a number of exams that took all morning and a _lot _longer to prepare for! But they are over now. Over forever. (That is, unless I get shit marks and have to re-sit them!)

It will be the holidays in a week, and I will be able to update a lot quicker then. I hope you can find it in your large hearts to drop me a review and forgive me for my misgivings!

(Golly gosh, I've gone all British…)

---------------------------------------Part One------------------------------------------

Bella's POV  


With a sickening crunch, I smashed into something that knocked the breath out of me in one pain-filled scream. I felt sharp pain breaking out around my body: stabbing, biting, slashing pain. The glass that had clung to my skin from the window was now digging into my flesh, and my bones felt like they had turned to jelly, or been smashed beyond repair. I screamed louder, already not being able to cope with the stinging that raced through my body, knocking my nerves into overdrive.

The ground underneath me moved suddenly as if an unexpected earthquake had run through it. That was when I noticed it; the thing under me was shifting itself, wrapping itself around me. Through my eyelids, I could see a blinding, sparkling light and dared not open my eyes.

"Edward?" I whispered, my pulse already beginning to race with anticipation and hope. Was it him? Had he caught me?

There was no answer.  
Assuming it could only be him holding me, I wrapped my arms around his neck and relaxed. I had missed him so much- and now he was here, all I could do was feel myself drifting off to sleep. A bright light burned behind my eyelids as my mind became more and more disengaged from my body. I could no longer feel the pain as potently, though it was enough to incapacitate me beyond the point of any movement.

"I love you," I murmured to Edward, who was now moving ever so slightly that I guessed he was running or walking. He would save me. I had faith in him.

I felt a trickle of blood run out of my nose and then over my lips. The drop of liquid came to rest uncomfortably on my bottom lip, where I longed to get rid of it. I didn't even have the energy to wipe it away, and I couldn't lick my lips or the taste of blood would make me sick.

Slowly, I became more and more uncomfortable. I felt a sharp pain in my rib and back as I was moved again. This surface was warmer, almost as if it had absorbed rays from the sun that hung in the sky.

That was what first alerted me to the fact that something was wrong. Vampires didn't feel _warm. _

Edward wouldn't have stopped to lay me on a tarmac surface, would he? For this was what I knew I was lying on. I could feel the little pebbles digging into my back and cringed.

Something wasn't right.

My eyes flickered open, and then widened in horror as I saw _James. _

"NO!" I managed to yell, as I saw his smile.

I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even feel my legs now. I certainly wasn't going to be able to move.

"Caught you, didn't I?" he said.

I couldn't speak any more.

James bent over and began to move closer towards me. I lay there, begging silently in my head to die now, before he got to me.

He put his hands on either side of my head, and I felt him straddle me. His weight pressing on my body triggered another scream that sounded like breaking glass.

"Please," I whispered, but I knew my voice was getting quieter.

I blurrily saw him lean forward and then disjointedly felt his hands in my hair. I felt slight pressure on my scalp, and then little tugs as my hair didn't run smoothly through his fingers.

His lips on mine was the last thing I felt before my sight began to tunnel and my senses began to fade into a blank state of sleepiness, which I never wanted to emerge from.

_If this is what dying feels like, _I thought sluggishly, _then…_

I never finished the thought.

Alice's POV  


Location: Leaning against a glass wall beside the 'Rent A Car', at a nondescript airport in South America.

Edward- arguing with the assistant, trying to get a faster car.

Carlisle- telling the assistant that he will pay any sum of money to get a car right away.

Esme- wringing her hands with worry and repeatedly calling Bella's cell phone. To no success.

Jasper- staring blankly towards the doorway, lost in the turmoil of emotion.

Emmett- Stood on the balls of his feet, ready to bolt at a word from Edward, who seems to have taken control of the situation, even though he is the youngest of the family.

Rosalie- standing straight, with blazing eyes that scare away the public, who always give us a wide berth as they pass.

Mood of Family: Furious, agonized, sorrowful… according to Jasper, who keeps squeezing my hand tightly.

Visions: Small, and frequent. Flashes of Bella, which follow the same future as the terrible vision I saw before. Nothing seems to have changed and shamefully I find myself grieving already.

Edward's POV

"I am sorry, sir, there are no cars of the type you want at the moment on the database—"

With a rush of anger, the words burst from me like a volcano. "Fuck your records! _Get- me- a- car_!"

My fists slammed into the metal of the counter with every pause as my icy words echoed across the airport. There was silence, and the assistant stared at me with wide eyes, before nodding.

Her hands shook with complete terror as she typed, and she hurriedly said, "We have an Audi R8. H-how does that suit you, s-sir?"

"I'll pay," Carlisle said, slapping down a massive wad of bills onto the counter.

"It'll have to do," I snapped as I snatched the keys from her hands. "Where is it?"

"In the back carpark," she said quickly, obviously hoping we would leave soon.

I started off at a sprint, trying my best not to slip into vampire speed.

The car was painted a shiny black, with tinted windows and bright silver wheels, and looked like it had never been rented before. I flung open the door, narrowly stopping myself from tearing it off.

There was limited space in the car, but my family piled in nevertheless, understanding the urgency of the situation. Carlisle and Alice had managed to fit into the passenger seat, and I turned to them as I cranked up the speed, the tyres squealing. I could smell burning rubber, but I ignored it. I needed to go faster. Always faster!

"Alice, any more visions?" I said shortly, stepping on the accelerator as we hit a straight part of the road. The engine roared underneath me, but yet I pushed it faster.

Alice replied that she had, bouncing in her seat as I drove unsteadily- not caring for safety or any speed limits.

"Well?" I snapped. I could hear the strain in my own voice, yet could do nothing to calm myself.

"Just the same, Edward," she whispered, "It's just the same."

I concentrated on her thoughts and metaphorically raised the volume of her 'voice'.

_Bella is still in the same place, at that old run down hotel… turn right here. _

I saw the hotel in her mind, and then a simple street address before it went blank again.

I followed her mental instructions, until suddenly a car shot straight out from a side road, and I slammed on the breaks. My car screeched as I swerved, jolting up onto the empty sidewalk. I tried to step on the gas again, and get back onto the road in front of the car, but it reversed into my way.

"Asshole!" I yelled, slamming on the horn.

"Who is it?" Esme said from the back.

"A human wouldn't do that," Alice said. "That was _way_ too skilful for a human."

"Vampires?" Emmett said as three people got out from the car and walked towards us. Their stance was unmistakable- fighters.

"Get out the car," Carlisle said to me, and I jumped out to meet the woman and two men who were leisurely walking our way.

_Don't tell them we're here until they notice, _Carlisle said, _just see what they want. _

"What do you want?" I shouted shortly to them.

One of them clicked their tongue, muttering quietly. From about twenty metres away, I could still hear, even though the wind howled and rain lashed at us. "So rude."

I read the woman's mind- she was the one obviously in charge- and suddenly an image burned its way into my mind's eye.

It was Bella.

My beautiful Bella. Naked.

Naked, her battered body still. Another man grabbing at her small arms, using them to pull himself closer to her… His legs entangled with hers, pushing himself against her, forward and backwards, forward and backwards…

"In and out," the female Japanese vampire said gleefully, her teeth shining with menace, "In and out, in and out…"

She tormented me as the image played over and over in her mind.

"…Shake it all about," one of the male vampires finished, as the image switched to the man taking Bella by the shoulders, and shaking her hard. I could already see the bruises on her pale skin, the scratches, the glass embedded in her ivory limbs… and now the man was shaking her hard by the shoulders because she was unconscious!

And then I saw his face.

That terrible face- that sickening worm of a face.

The dark eyebrows over those devil eyes- red like blood spilling down a knife-edge. Those sunken, gaunt cheeks, as if life had sucked out all the happiness and left only malice… and those thin lips, stained with the blood of my love, crushing against her breast, her pale neck, her cheeks… his arms that encircled her like a vice- his nails like the thorn of a bush that dug into her sides…

…It was James.

A jagged roar ripped from my throat, and before I knew it, I was running. I reached the woman in under a second, and with a terrible scream, her head was ripped from her shoulders in one violent jerk. Still I was not satisfied. The two male vampires flanked me on either side- ready now- and rushed at me from both sides at once, like pincers closing in on prey. But I was not just helpless prey- I was a killer.

Flipping in the air and landing behind one of them, I grabbed his arm and yanked it sharply from its socket, tossing it behind me. His scream pierced the silence of the empty road as Emmett took care of him from behind.

The second was harder to injure, but I was faster and my determination was the fire that lit my soul and fuelled my limbs. No vampire filled merely with blood could match me, I knew that.

He spun and twisted to avoid my blows as I struck out for his neck, his head, his throat, and for his limbs. Little pieces of alabaster were slowly ripped piece by piece from his body, as a fierce growl hung in my throat.

Within another minute, our deadly dance broke apart and it was not me without a head. Jasper and Carlisle had finished off the Japanese vampire, and Emmett the other male, and I tore this one to pieces as Alice flicked on the lighter.

We were gone in a second, leaving only a cloud of purple smoke that hung ominously over the treetops, as a pile of what looked like marble burned by the side of the road.

---------------------------------------Part Two------------------------------------------

(Take a deep breath now… you might need it!)

Edward's POV

My urge to kill wouldn't be quietened, and I fed it as well as I could by imagining ripping James apart limb from limb. I would start with his toes, and then move up his legs… and little pieces of diamond-white stone would fly in all directions as I did it…

"Alice?" Carlisle said, "Did you see those vampires coming beforehand?"

"No," Alice said, "They must have been blocking my visions."  
"Then how come they let the one about Bella slip through before?" Emmett asked.

"Their power must be affected by distance," Alice deduced, "Now we are near… I expect I wont be them getting any more. Unless one of those vampires we just killed was the one with the power, then I will still get visions…" In her stress, she babbled.

"Alice," Carlisle said finally, "Thank you."

I heard Emmett cracking his knuckles in the back of the car, and it broke my concentration so much that I didn't notice when I shot straight past a side road.

"Edward!" Alice yelled, "Reverse! I saw something!"

"No time!" I yelled, and flung open the door, shooting out. I vaulted over the back of the car, and heard the parting of air as my family caught up behind me at vampire speed.

"There!" Alice yelled, and pointed to the left.

A gloomy path wound its way up a hill, and into the distance. Trees lined the path, but they were lanky and crisp- remnants of a dry summer and months of hot weather. Despite the rain, the tarmac ground was baking hot, and water droplets were producing steam that rose and wrapped around our feet like smoke.

With sharp eyes I stared up the path as I ran, trying to catch any sort of glimpse of life. The hotel seemed as empty as the surrounding area.

My head shot sideways as I saw a flash of white- and some sign of movement from the right side of the house. Just then, Alice stiffened beside me and stopped running… and so I slowed down too. Her vision may be important- and the family needed to stay together as our teamwork was best in close proximity to each other. Jasper and Carlisle skid to a stop behind me, and after that came Esme, Emmett and finally Rosalie.

"Be quiet," Carlisle said to the others, seeing Alice and I with closed eyes, "Look around for any signs of activity. I'll stay with Alice and Edward. Don't let anyone know we're here."

The others nodded and snuck around the side of the house.

The vision was over in a second.

It was simple- yet more horrifying because of that. It made my heart cold.

It was Bella, her eyes lifeless and her gaze glassy. Her ivory skin was pale and her body broken beyond repair. This was murder.

Murder.

And I would _not _allow it to happen.

"Should we get the police involved?" Alice said, almost seeming to guess my thoughts.

"No," I said, "They can't compete with vampires. We have to take James down ourselves."

Alice nodded silently, and slipped into pace behind me as I crept forward. My muscles screamed that I had to run; I'd be too late if I didn't; time was of the essence… but I knew that if I did then it would take a second for James to finish her off. No, we had to be silent and unheard, and shock James. We had to kill him before he had a chance to do the same to Bella.

The rest of the family were hidden against the wall, frozen in position. They had their eyes fixed on a point in the distance. When I approached, they turned their heads to me for direction.

"They have her over there," Esme breathed, pointing to a spot just below a window. It was at the back of the house, around the corner. Bella and James were just out of sight, and whatever other vampires were in the vicinity were also.

I nodded, and gestured for them to follow behind.

I crept forward, slipping into a crouch, my hand fists at my sides. My emotions continued to build in intensity until I was not only seeing reality, but also rushing images that slipped over my skin… darkness, tangles of Alice's visions, all mixed up like the tape had been rewound wrongly. And I smelt things that should not be smelt, heard whispers like the dead were speaking to me, and tasted the sharp tang of blood in my mouth, though nothing was there.

This extra feeling was ripped sharply away when I heard her trembling voice.

"Please, no!"

And I felt nothing but anger, and heard only her pleading cry, over and over in my mind.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXxxxxXXXXX

Ps. I am sorry I cut it off at that point- but I have to go to bed now, and I thought you might want this chapter today instead of tomorrow with a bit more on the end. I hope you don't complain there is no action. Come on, there was a bit. Most will come in the next chapter, so make sure you've come off your high horse in time to read that!

Pps. Krystal- thank you for your high praise! It made me blush :D

I will try and update again at the weekend. I hope you liked this chapter 

Sorry again for the delay.

I think this may be the second last chapter. Something like that…

CullenLove xx


	40. Epiphany

**Disclaimer: My last disclaimer ever for this story… how sad. Oh, how I will miss you, annoying reminder of my lack of ownership of Edward… **

**Once again, I fail to own any of the characters except Anya and the rest of the vampires I created for Victoria's army. **

**I think it would heighten the experience of this last chapter if you listened to music quietly in the background. Preferably nothing too happy… if you have no ideas, I suggest maybe some Linkin Park? **

**Here it is, the final chapter of my story… With no more ado, I present… 'Epiphany'. **

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_I crept forward, slipping into a crouch, my hand fists at my sides. My emotions continued to build in intensity until I was not only seeing reality, but also rushing images that slipped over my skin… darkness, tangles of Alice's visions, all mixed up like the tape had been rewound wrongly. And I smelt things that should not be smelt, heard whispers like the dead were speaking to me, and tasted the sharp tang of blood in my mouth, though nothing was there. _

_This extra feeling was ripped sharply away when I heard her trembling voice. _

"_Please, no!"_

_And I felt nothing but anger, and heard only her pleading cry, over and over in my mind. _

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**Edward's POV**

That _sick, _sick, monster! That devil! He had his filthy hands on my fiancée!

A ferocious growl tore out of my throat as I shot forward, intent on only one thing—

—And he noticed me, leaping up from his position over Bella, and turning to fight. I could see the terrible fear in his eyes, and the anger— I had interrupted his plan, and he was going to make me pay.

At least, that was what _he_ thought. His thoughts were racked with turbulent images of fires and burning flesh, purple flames that leapt towards the sky…

His crouch matched mine- in every way he was my equal. In strength he was stronger, in speed I was quicker… in determination I knew I would win.

I closed the space between us in one bound- and went straight for his neck. He jumped, flipping in the air, spiralling away from me. I roared in frustration as a laugh burst out of his thin lips.

"Get Bella!" I yelled at my family; saw Carlisle picking her up, rushing her away… and my heart burned with terror as I saw her motionless in his arms; he was taking her away… was she going to die?

I almost called for help- why didn't the others help Bella too? But just at that moment- multitudes of vampires burst from behind every tree, and attacked… and James in his deadly dance had lead me away from them all—he had me alone. This was between us two.

Animal growls filled the area with battle cries of frustration and testosterone, of anger and fiery hatred. I would make this hotel burn like the pits of hell while James was in the middle of it—now, no more thinking, I would put that plan into action!

James ducked and spun under my hands that grasped for his neck… for his head, for those dull brown curls and those sharp red eyes… for that white skin that had lived through centuries of mania.

I didn't speak- words weren't enough to tell him what he had done to me.

Locked in this terrible dance, we didn't notice the other battles raging around us- Jasper with Victoria, Rose and Emmett doing a double team on one of the other vampires, (who was fighting without a leg and with only half of his head), and Carlisle- fighting every second for Bella's life. The only thing that existed was each other- James and I- apart from the rest of them, standing together and both alone.

The thought that only the both of us existed at this moment would have been erotic or filled with happiness had it been Bella and I- yet with James, it only made my heart numb. I wasn't going to spare him any mercy, and neither was he for me. If it _was _only the two of us left, then soon there was going to be one. And I would be happy to be the last man on earth if it meant I could kill him—because certainly I would follow him close behind with my own death, to be with Bella forever.

"Stop leaping away and fight like a man!" I bellowed at James, who was always twisting his nimble body, flexibly ducking or dancing away…

"As you wish," James said, and my fingers missed him by just an inch as I grabbed for his chest. Quickly regaining my balance, I turned, just to see his fingers whistle past and miss my face by a margin, outstretched and grabbing at thin air.

And then the battle shifted, almost incomprehensibly, and James' tactics had changed… and now it was me who was twisting and turning, him forcing faster and faster reactions, testing me…

My limbs shook with the force of my energy and strength—but it was not this that I needed to draw up from my inner self—it was speed. How could I outwit him? How could I get the better of him? How could I predict his next move, beat him to the chase?

_Your power, you idiot! _I heard Alice scream in my mind, with the force of a thorny mind probe. My legs, by reflex, turned me to face her, spinning me behind James… and instead of doing what my mind urged- to look at the person who was speaking to me- I went against nature and grabbed for James' neck. My fingers missed by a millimetre, but it didn't matter- it had been close!

And suddenly the battle changed again- and he and I knew that his life had been closely pulled back from the brink. There was something else in my actions now… something you couldn't see, but James felt it. Beads of sweat broke out on his skin, something that shouldn't, by nature, even happen. Vampires sweat? No. It was venom- understanding that his body was in fatal danger; it had broke out upon his skin, so that every time my fingers brushed against some or other part of him, it stung like an electric shock.

_No, I can't let him win! _I heard James scream frantically in his mind, and a new urgency crept into his limbs. His turns now were quicker, always drawing him away. He never grew nearer- he was defensive now.

And every time he moved, I knew which way it would lead him; Alice's advice had come just at the right time, when I could have lost. There was no prospect of that now.

In a darting movement that lead me to dodge past James, I turned in the process of a jump, and grabbed at the front of his shirt. I didn't manage to catch his skin under my fingers, but his shirt was ripped from his body with a sharp tear. I dropped the material as soon as I had taken possession of it, and had soon enough reached the other side of James, like a lion circling. I saw the fear in his eyes and it fed me.

A sudden outburst of energy had sprung up in us: in him, a desire to survive, in me, the exaltation of the closeness of my goal.

With this, James uncurled from close to the ground- where I had driven him in avoidance of my long fingers- and bolted like a bullet into the woods.

"YOU COWARD!" I roared. "YOU USELESS EXCUSE FOR A MAN!"

His fleeting feet hit upon the moss, leading him away- he was running from me! I had had him, and now he was fleeing—drawing out of my sight!

_Don't let him get away!_ Alice screamed, before her voice spun away into nothing. I was too far away to hear anything but brief snatches of my family's thoughts, but James' were clear as a bell in the pelting rain that shot down in sheets upon our fleeing forms.

I didn't bother to move for trees, and their branches ripped into my clothes and tore them from my body. Soon I was running just as I had been created; and James ahead of me was what my intense gaze was glued to. His every move I matched, and as he turned to change direction with impossibly quick reactions, my feet too adjusted my path.

He had been drawing away before, but now- flat out in the thickets of a forest- I was catching up. My body burned with adrenaline and urgency, and the pulse of my thoughts quickened.

Any discomfort that running naked as branches tore at my body may have caused, I bore silently. My body was merely a vessel to carry me to my goal—until my strong fingers were wrapped around James' neck and I could squeeze and squeeze until he was screaming for mercy…

Bella's face burned its way into my mind's eye- this was who I was doing it for! This was for her!

I ran for those rose-red lips, I ran for her smooth, melodic voice, I ran for her gentle, warm hands that stroked their way tenderly across my body…

I ran and caught up with James for the passion Bella raised in me, I ran for those times where we had been tangled together on the bed, in the throes of ecstasy. I ran for the raindrops that hung like diamonds on her eyelashes, and for the times that she smiled at me, and it lit the world up like a sun stood by me. But most of all, I ran for our future.

I would beat the Prophecy that had almost ended my life.

"I wont let you get away, James!" I heard myself call with absolute joy that filled my every cell and seeped into my bones. It felt like I was coming alive again- every particle of me was fixed on one thing, and was bursting into life like creation had too long been dormant…

I ran for my seraphim—I killed for my seraphim… and when my hands were latched around his throat, I rejoiced as James screamed. I tore and ripped at his skin like at the devil—I purged the evil from his white body, and when I was done, I watched the pieces of alabaster burn.

_**The End.**_

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**I really hope you enjoyed this story. It was a pleasure to write, and a pleasure to receive all of your thoughtful reviews. I hope you can spare me one more review, just as an overview of your thoughts at the end of this very long story!**

**My first fanfiction ever, now finished, and I feel sad and glad in the same measure. I will not be writing for a week or so, just to cool down, so if you wonder where I've gone for my other stories then now you'll know. It would make me very happy to know that you could spare a minute of your time to write me one final review! I really hope the climax of this story lived up to your expectations. **

**Love forever, **

CullenLove.


	41. Epilogue

By popular demand, (thanks Bribbie, you were very awesome in persuading me

By popular demand, (thanks Bribbie, you were very persuasive and got me writing, and thanks everyone else!), I give you the final chapter…

Disclaimer:

Me: Do I own it yet, oh-Sharon-my-awesome-secretary?

-Sharon puts down phone and turns to me-

Sharon: Stephenie hasn't agreed to hand over the rights to you just yet…

Me: Darn it!

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_Epilogue_

_Edward's Point Of View_

It was three weeks before Bella woke up- her injuries had been so great that any stress upon waking could have killed her. So they drugged her until her pale eyelids hang heavy, and her body was limp. Three operations, and twenty-seven and a half hours fighting for her life later, and she was in a stable condition. But it was three whole weeks of torture before I could hear her voice again, and look into those beautiful, capturing eyes.

We had missed two weeks of school, and our wedding, but nothing mattered to me anymore, but that she recovered. The same was not true for Alice- she filled my days with sad comments about how much planning she had done, and how much it had gone to waste. I told her that as soon as Bella could walk again, we would be husband and wife together by the altar. I promised myself, and when I visited Bella, I promised her too.

Although she didn't see me, or realize my presence, I was by her side always. I didn't leave her for over an hour in all the weeks I was there- the only brief lapses were when I had to hunt, and I neglected my thirst for as long as I could too. I don't think the hospital had seen a more devoted visitor in all its years of opening.

Carlisle hadn't been the one to operate on her- soon to be a close family member, they hadn't let him. But I had managed to persuade my way into having him oversee the operation, and it went without hitch. Or as much without hitch as it could have done, considering the circumstances.

My thoughts strayed back to the day I had been locked in a life or death battle with James, and my heart grew cold. I could not think of the day without dark memories drawing back into my mind.

After killing the malevolent killer, I had bolted back to find Bella, and to find my family… but they had gone. Furiously I searched for them, until miles away, I came upon them- but there were only five. I had demanded to see Bella, and Esme had told me Carlisle had taken her to the hospital, and that she was gravely ill. I had insisted to be shown the way there, but as I had still been naked, Alice had forced me to freshen up first.

My family had burnt the vampires, and had taken care of Victoria, and we longed to see Bella. Although I would have liked to finish Victoria off myself, I thanked Jasper, who had been the one to kill her. I don't know whether I could have put up with the emotion of anger for much longer, and James had tired me out emotionally, if not physically too. His coven had been right- he was lethal- but I had been even more so.

Wearing new clothes and newly showered, I made my way to the hospital. I hated myself for needing to 'freshen up', and for not reaching Bella straight away (when she was in such a critical situation), but Esme wouldn't let me go back into civilisation looking like I had been in a run-in with a group of crazy racoons. Or like I had just dismembered more sentient beings in the suburbs of some sprawling city in South America.

As Bella had no family now apart from us, she received no other visitors. But there was always one of us there- most of the time it was me, but I was joined regularly by Alice and Esme, often Carlisle, and Jasper, Emmett and Rose once they had cleaned up the mess of granite limbs we had made of the opposing vampires.

On the day that was supposed to be the happiest of my life- my wedding- Alice made me come in to visit in my groom's outfit. The nurses in the hospital eyed me up, but I had eyes only for my gentle angel lying so soundlessly in her bed on the fourth floor. I renewed the vase of flowers with a dozen red roses, and sung softly to her as I stroked her hand. I hoped she was having happy dreams, or at least that she was getting some well-needed rest. They wouldn't take her off the drugs until the three weeks were up, and even then, she didn't wake up until two days later.

It was one of those rare days when only I was sitting in her hospital room, and deep down I was thankful for this. I wanted to spend some time alone with her, tell her how much I loved her… without the presence of my loveable, but somewhat lively family.

As my left hand reached out to stroke her hair, (my right was holding her frail hand gently), I felt a flutter of movement. Her eyelids had opened ever so slightly, and closed again. Over the next few moments, it seemed as if she was fighting to wake, and I spoke softly into her ear.

"I'm right here Bella," I purred into her ear, "When you wake up I'll be here." I heard a small mumble, and encouraged, carried on- "I love you Bella. When you wake up I'll show you just how much."

And then the smallest smile graced her face, and her eyes slowly opened. She blinked a couple of times, and then tried to sit up, but I held her down gently.

"Don't try to move yet, love," I said, "You've been through a lot."

"Edward?" she whispered, her small voice weak and tiny. I was reminded of her fragility, and kissed her only very gently, once, on her lips.

"I love you," I murmured.

Her small smile grew. I looked lovingly at the creases around her eyes as her face lit up.

"I'm alive…" she muttered.

"Of course you are," I said, kissing her forehead gently.

"I… I thought J-James had killed me," she whispered. Her eyes dropped once more, and she seemed reluctant to stay awake.

"No," I murmured, matching her level of quietness, as I knew she was about to fall asleep again. "I found James and got rid of him."

"Got… ridof him?" she whispered. She could scarcely believe it would be true, I could tell it in her eyes.

"Yes," I said, and smiled down at her, "You're safe now."

"Oh," Bella said, "Edward…"

She had been meaning to say something else, but she fell asleep before she could voice her thought. I kissed her eyelids softly, brushed my lips against her cheekbones, and then resumed my watch from the chair beside her bed.

Looking down on her form, I noticed subtle changes in her- she had grown up slightly, aged in front of my eyes… but the changes were so small that a human would never notice, and they just seemed glorious and happy changes in my eyes. She was even more beautiful than before- more womanly… her limbs seemed more supple, stronger somehow. Where the fight and the prolonged time away from me would normally have made her weaker, more mentally wasted, it had instead strengthened her spirit. I knew that when she awoke for good, her spirit would be filled with fire, and people who wanted to do her harm wouldn't fool her again so easily.

I was so proud of her, so immensely proud. She had come through this all- survived for me, she frequently told me- and she had only grown stronger. Physically, her body was in stages of recovery, but mentally, when she awoke she would be a match for even feisty Rosalie.

A couple more days passed before she could stay awake for long periods of time, and another week before she could stand up again and walk about. Time passed in much the same way at the hospital; I would always be there when she woke up, and always be there when she fell asleep again. It was a couple of days before my birthday when she was finally released from the hospital, after spending four months there. Finally recovered, she spent the ride home in complete silence, staring out of the windows with a slight smile on her face. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to see the sky again, after being in there so long. It was like a new beginning for the both of us, and we welcomed it with open arms.

When we pulled back up the driveway into our house in Forks, the car fell silent and was seized by a warm feeling of coming home. As we walked around the house, examining the rooms, nothing had changed. All these months away, and nothing had changed! Everything was where we left it, down to the remote control that rested on the third self of the bookcase, and Jasper's mobile which was still resting on the counter.

As the family entered the still house, over the next few hours it came alive again. Windows were thrown wide, rooms were re-explored, and things were touched and moved and used like they hadn't been in months.

And as the house came alive, so did Bella. The subdued silence in the car turned at once into a radiant joy, her face shone with happiness, and she warmed the family's hearts with her liveliness. She sang as she arranged- my CDs had in an hour been dusted and arranged neatly back on the shelves. Then she proceeded to change the sheets on our bed, wash the large window that formed one wall of the room, and hoovered the floor. I didn't question her preference for these activities; I merely sat on the couch and watched her with bright eyes. She was more beautiful than ever.

Then night came, and we found ourselves alone in the house. In the darkness, we rediscovered ourselves, and as I gently made love to her, we came home in more ways than one. But my Bella _had _changed, her more-womanly self (as this was what described her change best) didn't just want the careful, loving tenderness which I treated her with, aware that she had only recently recovered… she wanted me to be rough, to be hard and fast and strong… she wanted _fire_ and she wanted me to be unrestrained in my love-making. She wanted me to be really how I was inside, and not let anything hang back.

I was all too happy to give this to her- I had been months without her touch, without being able to feel her body under mine… and our appetites raged together. Our passion only grew as the night went on, and my Bella surprised me over and over. She seemed to have acquired an emotional strength, almost vampire-like… though her body was still fragile, it seemed she was not as easily tired, her endurance and stamina had multiplied. She was fresh and new, and she was test-driving once more!

This flame within her soul surprised me- made me wonder later whether some of James' venom had somehow got into her. I wondered if this could be possible. It would have to be the most minute amount not to change her, but somehow she could now put up with my strong touch, though I never unleashed my full strength on her. Or maybe it was just her months of rest that had given her back to me so pure and immaculate.

In the courses of our ecstasy, I thought of nothing but her. We rose as one, and our hearts broke free of our struggles and flew together. We learnt more of each other in that one night than we had in all our time together, and feeling joined into one purpose, one organism, one being… we descended to earth, with renewed life, and ready for anything.

_**--Really The End This Time--**_

_**(You can sigh with contentment now, if you feel so inclined! :D)**_

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**Thank you so very much for reading my story. Would you believe it, it's novel length?! You have just read two hundred and forty four pages on my Word document! I hope you're proud of yourself!**

**--Pats on back—**

**Keep being lovely and generous with your reviews like you always are, and keep enjoying reading and writing!**

**CullenLove xx**

**Ps. If you liked this story, then you may like my others:**

'**Boss From Hell!' **

'**I Don't Know You Any More' and its sequel- 'Tasting The Wine'. **

'**The Other Half Of Me'.**

'**Pocket Pinups: Portraits Of The Cullen Family'.**

**And watch out for others, coming soon!**

**(It's like you're at the movie theatres!)**

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**I just have to say a very big thank you for all my reviews. When I signed up, I didn't ever imagine anyone would want to read my stories, yet alone more than a couple of you! Your reviews have sustained me throughout ****this hard**** year of being at high school** :D**! You have really raised my confidence in my writing and it's been a massive help in trying to achieve my dream of becoming a professional established author. If I make it big, then you'll kn**ow you played a big part in it!

I Swear It's The End This Time!

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	42. Notes

This is not another chapter, obviously

This is not another chapter, obviously. Sorry if you thought it was!

I just wanted to say that I will not be writing a sequel as I'm rather wrapped up in my three ongoing stories. If a brainwave comes to me, I may write a sequel, but it's unlikely.

I was wondering why I had almost no reviews for the last chapter of Blood Berries until I realized its because I deleted the chapter before (which was an Author's Note) and replaced it. It wont let you review twice.

And I desperately want to know what you think of the ending. So I am posting this note with a plea that you can review this post!


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